The Underdog Syndrome
by KuriQuinn
Summary: To her, beyblading isn't just a game...it's the key to discovering what drives the dark spirit that's consuming her entire life.
1. Prologue

**_The Underdog Syndrome_**

**Author**: KuriQuinn

**Title**: The Underdog Syndrome

**Fandom**: Beyblade

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Beyblade, but if I did I'd probably be rich and still reading fanfiction

**Pairing**: I'll never tell…

**Rating**: PG-13 for language

**Summary**: A teen with heavy emotional baggage is suddenly thrown back into the world of beyblading, only to be thrown a series of lifes curveballs a day at a time.

**Takes Place:** Series

* * *

Prologue: 

_August 28, 2001_

"What do you mean, _we're moving_?" Chaya Tate's eyes narrowed at her father who stood across the room, looking at her helplessly. Between them, a sea of dirty laundry, CD covers and school books hid the carpet from view and from beneath some loose papers, music blared out of a skipping stereo.

"We're moving," her father repeated, his face showing that he was making an effort to at least smile in a friendly, convincing way. "We're going to live really close to Gamma Yoshi – "

"Japan?" the teenager asked, her voice flat and unimpressed. "Why are we moving half-way across the world? We just got here less than six months ago."

"I know, honey, but things have gotten a little complicated," her father strode into the room, following the sound of the blaring stereo and after digging beneath the loose papers, turned it off. Chaya crossed her arms, feeling anger well up within her. This always happened. The minute they were settled somewhere, they had to move. It was like a chronic disease that her family suffered from, and seemed to get worse every single time. "You're mother and I - "

"If you guys are having so much damn trouble, why don't you just get a divorce already!" she demanded, her brown eyes sparking angrily. "These trial separations don't do anything - "

"You watch your tone, Chaya," her father warned, although his eyes were soft. He came over to sit on her bed while she glared down at him. Her father shared her brown eyes, but instead of wavy blond hair, a thinning chestnut mane covered his head and some of his face in a tickling beard that she remembered curling up into when she had been three. She had always been a Daddy's girl, unlike Max who was his mother's pet. Even though their father had always liked Becky the best…Chaya had been spoiled shamelessly by him. "Honey, I know it's hard for you and your brother through all this – "

"Try impossible," the blond grumbled, staring out the window into the street, where a group of kids were standing in a crowd, obviously watching something in the middle. She felt another splash of anger colour her mood. It was another beybattle. As if they didn't have enough of them at school, Max had to bring his buddies home to battle against. He and Alan had been at it for days now.

" – but we feel its best if we do this. We want you and Max to be able to settle down instead of being dragged all over the world with us because of…well, your mothers job for one, and Becky for another. We've decided that we'll have her moved to the hospital in New York where your mother's going to work." He tried to smile at her. "You'll make new friends, I prom – "

"Skip it, Dad, I know the speech," she muttered bitterly, stalking through the mess of her room towards her small closet, from which she pulled out a large box with the imprint of a TV on it. It was half full of clothing. "Besides, I had a feeling this place wouldn't work out. I already have most of my stuff packed and I didn't bother making friends here."

"Chaya that's not fair," her dad looked horribly hurt and she almost felt guilty at the way she was treating him, but when given the amount of times she had been through this entire situation, he deserved it. All because Judy refused to be relegated to a new position. And because of Becky. Her shoulders hunched and she looked outside again. Just as she had known, Alan and Max were egging each other on, calling out attacks and other nonsense over two tricked out spinning tops that revolved around each other warily, once in a while smashing into one aother as though testing for weak points. "What about Alan? He's friends with both you and Max."

Chaya thought about Alan and an embarrassed flush rose in her cheeks so that she had to turn around so that her father wouldn't see it. "Alan's different. He just hangs out with me because of Max."

"So you won't miss him? Leaving him won't make you sad?"

"The only thing that makes me sad is the fact that you won't let yourself accept that her job and Becky always come before you when it comes to Judy," Chaya muttered bitterly.

She inclined her head to the left to see her father's reaction and watched it turn angry for a moment. "I don't want you talking about your mother like that, young lady. If it weren't for her, you wouldn't have all the things you have now."

"I never asked for any of it!" she shot back, turning around angrily. "I wanted a normal life, with normal friends, normal pastimes and possibly a normal family, but that's too much to ask for, isn't it? Ever since Becky – "

"Chaya!" the strength of the warning in her father's voice made her stop and she glared at him angrily.

"What are you going to do? Ground me? I don't do anything anymore but read," she snapped. "Going to ban me from reading now too?"

"I don't like your attitude; you shouldn't have one at all. You're thirteen, not thirty. At your age if I didn't listen to my parents, I got smacked upside the head and sent to my room for the day."

"You'd get arrested for that now, though. But fine, I got it. Just tell me where and when, Dad, so I can get everything packed on time."

Her father stood and walked over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I know how you feel, sweetheart. My dad was in the army, so we were always moving too. This will be the last place for a long, long time, I promise."

Sure. Promise. Where had she heard that before? But the look on her fathers face was begging her to at least try to accept it more readily. She hated to see that lost, hurt look on her fathers face, so she looked down. She knew the discussion was over, and as with the countless others, she had lost this one too.

She sighed, looking down, then hearing the shouts from outside, remembered something that had been bugging her for a while. "Dad, do you think - after we move, I mean – that I'd be allowed to beyblade with Max? It's been a really long time since…" she trailed off when she looked up and saw her father's expression suddenly close, her heart sinking with it. This obviously was the last thing he had wanted to hear today, so she didn't bother continue with it. "Never mind; it's just a stupid game, right? Forget I said anything."

She pulled away from him and went to work sorting through some of the heaps of papers that littered the desk, waiting to hear the heavy sigh she knew was coming followed by the footsteps out of the room. She continued working diligently until she heard the door close, and her shoulders hunched.

It would never be alright, would it? Beyblading was just something she wasn't going to be allowed to take part in. Not that she wanted to be like everyone else, she reminded herself stubbornly. It was just…she felt her hand linger over the drawer of the desk for a moment, and after a long pause, carefully opened it.

There was nothing in the huge drawer save for a small, dime-sized object that gleamed even beneath the layer of dust that coated it.

As though catching herself doing something immoral, she shoved the drawer closed again and whirled around, facing her bed as the sudden loud cheers echoed over the small suburban street outside. She glanced out the window where the kids were cheering and clapping Max on the back. Even Alan, after he was defeated. It didn't matter where they went; Max was always the popular one. He was always at the center of attention, while she had stopped trying to make friends back when they were six years old.

'In Vancouver', she remembered.

Of course, that had been the start of all the trouble.

She couldn't remember the incident anymore, not that she had been able to at the time of the fact. She had blacked out for the entire thing, but the stories she heard from her parents were enough to fuel her nightmares for seven years. Nightmares she had never spoken to anyone, not even her twin despite his gentle prodding, or the shrinks they had begun to set her up with three years ago. How was she supposed to tell them what she was dreaming of when she couldn't understand herself?

Her eyes rested on the drawer again and they narrowed.

"It's your fault," she bit out.

"It's whose fault?"

She jumped, having not heard the door open and looked up in surprise to see her twin brother Max, face gleaming with sweat, leaning in the doorway of her room with a wide grin on his face. Behind him was his best friend, Alan Mackenzie, a kid they had met during their first sojourn in Oklahoma City ten years before. Despite the distance, Max and he had remained fast friends through being pen-pals and their friendship was as strong as ever.

"Let me guess who won," she said sarcastically, deciding not to answer her brother's question.

"Oh, I creamed him," her blond, blue eyes, perfect brother said, and she tried to shake away the feeling of resentment.

"Did not," Alan rolled his eyes, and then smirked at Chaya. She colored and looked away. Alan was fourteen, turning fifteen the next month and going to High School. He was a popular kid around the neighborhood and the only one she had bothered with, considering she'd known him before moving here. "Just wait until next time. Hey, maybe Chays will get in on the game?"

"I doubt it," she mumbled at the same time that her brother hurriedly said, "Don't think so."

"Aw, come on, you used to be such a good blader before Vancouver Island," Alan said, as he always did, his midnight eyes shining seriously from beneath wavy brown hair. "Don't tell me you haven't picked up a shooter since then?"

"Don't listen then when I tell you," she shrugged, her irritation growing at an alarming rate. She glanced back at the drawer again, and then whirled on Max. "Did Dad tell you? We're moving to Japan."

The look on Max's face went from joyful to depressed in ten seconds flat, but Chaya felt a mean, guileless triumph in being able to shatter his day for once. Turnabout really was fair play, she thought.

He cleared his throat calmly, although he looked about to cry, "Why?"

"What else? Judy's a bitch," she shrugged. "What other reason do we ever move for?"

"You shouldn't call her names," her twin looked angry now, and Alan was looking between the two of them. "She's our mother. You never used to be like this when we were little."

"When we were little, she wasn't around. She. Was. At. Work. As usual," Chaya shot back venomously. "Don't start fighting with me today, Max, I'm in the perfect mood to argue."

"I think I'll get going now, it's almost supper time," Alan said, a little nervous. He looked at Max. "Tough break, man. I'll see you guys before you go, though, right?"

Max didn't reply but stalked out of the room, probably to go find their father to verify what his sister had said. Chaya felt herself deflate, and turned around again, ready to keep cleaning her things away.

"Why do you always do that?" Alan's voice behind her made her turn around and glare. "Whenever he's happy, all you do is bring him down."

"Sorry if it seems that way," she replied coolly. "But that's right, we all have to make Max feel happy. God forbid someone other than him actually has a life. It's like Becky all over again."

Alan shook his head and turned to go. "Jealousy isn't something I'd have pegged you for."

"Than don't peg me," she cried, clenching her fists. Alan turned around a walked up to her, looking as though he couldn't find the right words to say, then shook his head, pecked her on the cheek quickly and left the room.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow," he called from the hallway, and when she was sure he was gone she slammed the door and fell into a heap behind it, pulling her knees up to her chest as she glared at the drawer.

"This is definitely all your fault."

* * *

Yes, I feel all of you who hate me taking down and reposting fics, but the fact remains, I'll continue to revamp things until I'm satisfied with them. And at the moment, this particular version of the fic is the surest bet to staying here. 

So, I hope you enjoyed the beginning, Chaya's a brat, but hey, she'll eventually get over it (I hope)m

R & R please,

KuriQuinn


	2. Chapter One

The Underdog Syndrome

**Author**: KuriQuinn

**Title**: The Underdog Syndrome

**Fandom**: Beyblade

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Beyblade, but if I did I'd probably be rich and still reading fanfiction

**Pairing**: I'll never tell…

**Rating**: PG-13 for language

**Summary**: A teen with heavy emotional baggage is suddenly thrown back into the world of beyblading, only to be thrown a series of lives curveballs a day at a time.

**Takes Place:** Series

_

* * *

_

_Chapter One _

_September 30, 2001_

"So this is the nameless hellhole we're going to be living in?" Chaya asked wryly as she, her brother and her father walked over the threshold of seemed to be a shop. Two counters near the back, as well as a series of empty racks and display cases filled the small store, all of it covered in a very thick layer of dust. "Yeah, I can really see myself living here, mm-hm…"

"We're living upstairs, stupid," Max rolled his eyes and dragged his suitcase in with him. Like the others, he was tired looking and disheveled from the long plane-ride over. "And besides, I think it'll be cool to live over a bey-tune-up shop."

"Hobbyshop, Max," their father chuckled. "With beyblade-tune-up as an added service. As much as you like it, you can't just run a business on beyblading alone. And while we're on the subject, I'm expecting a lot of help from you."

'Meaning me,' Chaya's heart sank. 'Max'll be too busy making friends and fighting beybattles.'

"Do you think the phones are hooked up?" Max asked.

Their father frowned, and then shrugged. "I'm not sure. You could check, I guess, but who do you want to call?"

"I want to check in with Mom, you know, to tell her we're here."

Chaya rolled her eyes at the enthusiasm in her brother's voice and left her suitcase in the doorway, studying the shop for an exit. A lone door behind the counter intrigued her and she followed it into a stairwell leading upstairs, downstairs and to a room on the right. She peeked in quickly, taking note of what might become the entry room, then slipped up the rickety stairs.

What she found did not please her.

Two rooms and a kitchen.

Meaning that she and Max would be sharing the bigger room, which was still half the size of her own room back in the States. She clenched her fists tightly, going over the mental list of things that had been going steadily worse since the news that they were moving – it was a long list.

Was it possible for it to get even more screwed up?

"Chaya, honey, we need some help putting things away!"

Evidently so…

Four hours later found Chaya tossing her clothes furiously into the drawers of the dresser her father had brought upstairs. It took up half the already too small room, and she wondered vaguely if it was possible them to even get one bed in here, let alone two.

"We'll take care of that tomorrow," her father had promised as he passed her the boxes with her CD's and other junk. "Just find some place for these where you can, and you and Maxie will sleep on mattresses tonight."

She couldn't help the words that snuck out of her mouth. "Why don't I just put them on the floor and Max and I will sleep in the hall-closet where there's space?" Her father had ignored her and she had been left do the rest of their things alone.

Max, of course, was scoping the town for Beyblade action, something she didn't have intention of forgiving her father or Max for. What was this, 'pick on the female day' in the Tate house?

She glanced up at the posters she had stuck up on her side of the room, allowing a rueful smile grace her features as she studied the guises of her favorite beyblading team to date, _Quick Sickness._ They were a European team that had their start in the British Isles, but had been defeated from their roles as World Champions two years earlier. Although they had disbanded, she still liked having them on her wall, considering the team was all female. Skye, Raine and Miyami had been the best of the best.

With a sigh, she opened up the box with her jewelry and hairpins. Ignoring the shining, frivolous junk she'd only bought to make her mother happy and able to say 'how much like Becky' she was, she dug beneath the trinkets and picked out the mysterious object that had been hidden in her drawer back in Oklahoma.

The black impression looked back at her innocently, although she knew that this thing was far from it. She knew the dark side of this innocent little coin-shaped trinket.

And at the moment, she felt very dark and annoyed herself.

Ripping the fake jewel off of one of the chokers she had picked up somewhere in a mall, she tricked the little facet into the chain, studying her work carefully after finishing with it. The bit-clip looked like it had suddenly been given back-up as the painted likeness of a Greek bird of pray seemed to poise itself for an attack. Precisely the type of attitude needed in a beybattle, she reflected as she put on the pendant.

She smirked to herself. 'Let's see what Dad does when he catches sight of this.'

Chaya wasn't usually a bad or spiteful kid, but the current state had been mounting over a period of months, fueled by her parent's stupidity, her brother's popularity and her own sullen, brooding temperament. Loneliness might also have been an issue, she was sure her ex-psychiatrist would have said, but the truth was, Chaya liked being alone. Alone was good. Alone meant you could plot the earth's domination without having to worry about dividing the territory amongst your partners or underlings…

At least, that was the way she saw it, but then again, she'd played Risk one too many times.

When she looked at herself, she didn't see lonely. She saw average, boring and possibly insane with jealousy over both her older sister and brother. But why exclaim that fact to the world when it was a given, and put the energy to something else?

'That's what beyblading had been there for,' she thought bitterly as she left her room and climbed the stairs down to the basement garage where all the rest of the things were being unloaded. 'And damn was I good, too.'

Until Vancouver Island, the Canadian Solo-Tournament when two thousand people had watched her go into a melt-down and nearly send herself into cardiac arrest. The doctors had said that it was stress - she had been a child-prodigy blader since she was four, her and Max making an awesome team and even more awesome opponents – and decided a few months on retreat would do her good before getting back in the game.

But her parents had known. Dad especially, had known.

It had been Zorn.

At the mere thought of its name, the bit at her neck seemed to hum with energy and she paused for a moment on the stairs. The sacred spirit locked within the crystal surface ached to return to the battlefield, to manifest itself in any way possible.

But ever since Vancouver Island, Chaya had been forbidden to blade. Her parents had wanted to take the bit and have it destroyed, but she had hidden it and pretended she lost it. No one knew it was still around.

'Until now,' she decided, continuing on her way down the stairs.

The basement was dark when she got there and when she couldn't find the light switch in the dark, she decided to open the windows at the other side of the room – this turned out to be a not-so-smart idea when she found herself toppling downward as the ground sunk suddenly in a slope and she found herself sitting in a upside-down, dome-shaped structure.

'Beydish,' she thought immediately, feeling the smooth sides around her. 'But why in the basement?'

She heard footsteps and voices in the stairwell suddenly, and a loud, unfamiliar voice in Japanese, "Okay, okay, enough keeping me in the dark already!"

The light that she hadn't been able to find was flicked on, illuminating the surprised faces of her brother, father, and two boys she had never seen before in her life. The first was shorter than Max with wild looking dark hair that was hidden beneath a baseball cap, and dark blue eyes that searched around the disarrayed basement with interest and awe, but always fell back on her in confusion. The second boy was even shorter than the first with auburn bangs that covered his eyes, seemed to being doing the same thing.

"Honey, what are you doing sitting in the floor?" her father said, looking a little wary, as though her answer might before more disturbing than if he had remained in the dark as to her reasons.

"Oh, you know, lack of chairs upstairs," she deadpanned, crossing her arms. "It quite comfortable here, really, and I mean I wouldn't possibly be in here because I couldn't find the light switch and tripped. Nope, not me."

The first boy turned to Max. "Who's the cynic?"

"My sister, Chaya," Max replied with a half-hearted smile. "Chays, this is Kinomiya Takao – "the boy with the baseball hat grinned, " – and Hagoshimi Kyoujiu."

"Pleased to meet you," the short boy piped up.

"Charmed," the she replied, not really meaning it.

"Is that cool!" Takao cried suddenly. "Talk about being lucky, you're very own beystadium!" He ran forward, surveying the dish Chaya was currently sitting in with adoring eyes. She wondered vaguely if she should move before he began to drool, after all, the look on his face reminded her of a particularly large dog with a slab of meat in front of him. When he reached down to run his hand over the smooth surface she climbed out of the dish and back onto the concrete floor.

"Can you believe it was here when we got the place?" her father asked, and Chaya looked up noticing his tone. His gaze was telling her to mind her manners and in reply, she shrugged. So she didn't have the best attitude in the world. It came from spending the afternoon cleaning the house while Max managed to go out and make friends already. Didn't he know Dad would probably show up in a few weeks and announce that they were moving already?

She also noticed with a closed face that her father hadn't told her about the beydish before. What was he trying to do, shield her from the truth? Like she wasn't going to walk into the basement at least once while they lived here. The ban on blading was beginning to take its toll on her, and she knew it would probably be one small, stupid thing to set her off.

"And dad totally fixed it up for us," Max was saying, looking perfectly cheerful as he chatted with his two new friends. Chaya spitefully decided he must have put too much sugar on his cereal that morning.

"That's very nice handy work," Kyoujiu said to their father, who beamed, and then the boy turned to Chaya. "By 'us', does Max mean you beyblade as well? We know Max does…"

"Did," Chaya answered, trying to sound friendlier as she crawled to her feet and dusted herself off. "As in don't anymore. I stopped a while ago. I think Max meant himself."

Kyoujiu looked like he was deep in thought. "Really? Because I feel fairly certain I've heard your name before. It's very familiar."

"It should," Max said proudly. "She was a solo finalist seven years ago back in the States! She nearly won the Canadian Soloist Title-match!"

Kyoujiu looked awed, but before he could say anything, Chaya cut in.

"Well I didn't win, so let's drop it," she said, not wanting the subject to be pursued any further. "But I didn't stop because of the loss, so if anyone ever tells you that's what did it, they're lying."

"Okay…" Kyoujiu said, sounding confused.

Chaya got another warning look from her dad and decided that it was to take her leave. Obviously, there was going to be blading talk here, something a girl like probably wouldn't be interested in…jerks. "You know? Why don't you guys have a match. And I'll go upstairs and finish unpacking my books."

And with that, she trotted out of the room and up the stairs, pausing slightly when she saw that the shop was already laid out and inviting customers within. A 'Be Back In Ten Minutes' sign hung on the doorway and she bristled.

It figured, their dad was trying to make up for uprooting them from another home by being supportive. All he ever did to keep her happy was buy her books and CD's, things she could have little use for, let alone enjoy. Her fingers itched to play the game just one more time, and when she caught sight of the new packs and starter blade kits, she couldn't help but go to examine them.

They were newer, sleeker and with built in attack-rings which had become new to the sport only months ago. She remembered Max gloatingly showing them off to Alan…

Her eyes flicked to the door, then back to the display. Then, like a few times before, she snatched the pack and stuck it in her pocket, leaving the shop swiftly.

(-)

It was a nice day, sun shining, birds singing. Chaya was sure that someone had left the radio stuck on happy-mode. As she trotted down the street her fingers deftly pulled away the plastic packaging assembling the blade, remembering the familiar twists and turns that practice had made her know by heart. As soon as it was finished she tossed the trash in a garbage can that she passed and held the blade and its thin, plastic rip-cord up to the light, examining it. It was black, reminding her of her old blade, with blue and gold fine painting.

She didn't exactly know why she had given in to the impulse to take the blade. She had been a good girl now for a few years, she though ruefully, why break it now? It was just a stupid game.

'Only it's more than that,' she thought, arguing with her earlier thoughts.

A sudden, cold chill shot up her spine, making her shudder convulsively. Confused, she tried to analyze it when she realized someone was behind her.

"Hey, kid, where are you off to?"

She whirled around at the voice and stared at the boy in front of her. He had to be at least two years older than her and wore rugged jeans and a cut of jean vest. Masses of long, greasy brown hair hung over his shoulders, and he was smirking at her.

"Don't really know," she shrugged, looking at him with a guarded look. She noticed absently that she had wandered into a back alley of some sort. She hadn't thought it possible to find those here, amazing. Things felt more like home already. "I must be lost…think you can show me back to the main road?"

He crossed his arms. "For a price."

"I guess that's out of the question, because I don't have any money. So I guess we say goodbye…"

"Not so fast," the boy said, blocking her way as she tried to get back. "I never said what the price was."

"Well I don't really want to know," Chaya shot back.

"Listen, I see you've got a beyblade. Folks around here are only allowed them if they can actually fight. Can you defend your right to one?"

She raised her eyebrow at the guy, then looked at the blade. It'd be stupid to accept the battle. She hadn't touched a shooter in so long, she'd probably launch it backwards and knock herself out. So she looked up and shrugged. "Nope."

He looked a little surprised that she had declined, and then smirked. "Well, I guess when I figured you for a lightweight, I was right. So I guess if you just hand over that blade, I'll let you get back home, little girl."

She bristled at these words. "You're kidding, right? First off, I'm not a little girl, and if you say that again I'll be forced to beat the crap out of you. Second of all, do you realize just how sad you are, going around trying to steal people's beyblades? They're plastic pieces of scrap metal that took about ten cents to make in some dusty country, and are probably worth little over that. Okay. You're what, fifteen? Shouldn't you be out trying to sweet-talk a girl into coming to have a milk-shake with you? Not that you could, you're an ugly looking dude, but still."

The boy was glaring at her, his face turning a mottled purple. "Look, kid, just give me the stupid blade, considering you're to chicken to play me for it."

Chaya raised her eyebrow. "Did you even hear anything I just said? Evidently not. Read my lips." She leaned closer. "No way in hell. Now go away and pick on some third grader."

She pushed passed the kid, intent on finding her way out of the back-alley. She could hear him growling in anger behind her, and then suddenly there was a clicking noise and she sensed coming towards her. Whirling around she watched in almost slow motion as the kid's blade was sent spinning towards her on a crash-course with her face. She didn't have time to move before the impact came.

Too her surprise, there was no impact.

The kid's blade was thrown right back at him, its rotating attack ring catching him on the side of the face, where a crimson line slowly appeared. He didn't seem to register it as he stared back at her in shock. Not knowing what he was so shocked about, she looked down and saw her own beyblade on the ground…._spinning._

But I didn't even launch it, she told herself reasonably, nearly jumping as the blade shot back into her hand with a slight jolt.

For a long moment she stared at the guy in the same shock, and then before she knew what she was doing, she had turned around and run out of the alleyway.

Her blood pumped in her ears as her feet pounded the sidewalk, ignoring the curious stares of the passersby, or the muffled shouts as she pushed roughly past the people in the street.

She didn't understand the fire in her blood right now, but she recognized it most definitely.

Adrenaline rush.

But why would she get a rush out of nearly having her face smashed by a blade? And how had she defended herself without even knowing it? She certainly didn't remember her hands moving to pull the rip-cord – come to think of it, the beyblade and the cord had both been in her left hand. She didn't know how to launch a beyblade using single-hand style.

Her heart beat faster, even though she was slowing down. The hobbyshop loomed before her, a limousine parked outside of it. She frowned, trying to ignore her shaking hands. They didn't know anyone rich, did they?

Curiosity getting the better of her, she walked into the shop, ignoring the inquiring stare of the limo driver, and went to the back. She could hear voices from the basement and frowned. They were still downstairs? It had to be at least an hour later and they were still in the basement?

She heard someone chuckling. A very familiar chuckle…

Stepping quietly down the stairs, she stopped when she got to the archway of the basement. Her father, brother, Takao and Kyoujiu had been joined by two men, one a portly, white-haired older gentleman, the other a young man with dark hair and small build. This one was holding up a poster of something that the three boys were ogling.

Her eyes swiveled back to the old man and recognition appeared on her features. "Daitenji-san? What are you doing here?"

She had long known the chairman of the Beyblade Battle Association, thanks to the fact that they had been one of her chief endorsers back before Vancouver Island. Now the man was an old family friend, although she hadn't seen him in two years, so as to what reason he had chosen to show up here, she was clueless.

"Chaya, it's good to see you," the baby-faced old man chortled. "I just wanted your family to be the first to hear about this years' events. Take a look."

Curious, she joined Max and his new friends and looked over the poster that Daitenji-san's aide was holding up. The entire page was emblazoned with two beyblades ramming each other, the Japanese words for 'Beyblade Regional Battle Tournament' looming over the picture.

"Wicked, huh?" Max was grinning. She shrugged, still looking at the poster as she listened to the old man rattle on about it.

"…it's a tournament I sponsor that will bring beybladers from all over the country. And, when all the battles are said and done, my company will know precisely who the best beybladers are."

"Just think of all the stats," Kyoujiu said, almost dreamily.

"Yeah! Too cool, I can hardly wait!" Takao cheered.

"For what, the food?" Chaya smirked.

The blue-eyed boy glared. "For your information, I'm going to win it."

She raised a challenging eyebrow. "You wish. Max can kick your butt any day."

"She has a point, Takao," Kyoujiu said carefully. "I mean, just now, you - "

"How about 'she' puts her beyblade where her mouth is?" Takao asked, looking at Chaya with a challenging look.

"I don't blade anymore," Chaya said coldly, the atmosphere in the room suddenly feeling very cold. Takao seemed to have sensed it and merely made a mocking noise and went back to looking at the poster.

Chaya could see that this new competition was going to be the topic for the rest of the day, and clenching her fists, she turned and walked back up the stairs. There was really no point in baiting anyone any more; she'd just keep being reminded of the ban. She could hear Takao and Daitenji-san talking even as she arrived on the main floor.

"If there's a tournament, you can be sure Hiwatari will be there," Takao was saying. "Have you heard of him?"

"As a matter of fact, he's already entered," Daitenji-san said. "Hiwatari-san may not be the friendliest fellow, but he's a top notch competitor as well as being the returning champion."

"He's the returning champion?"

It was the last thing that Chaya heard as she climbed the stairs to her room, dropped the beyblade and ripcord on the dresser and collapsed onto the mattress that was on the floor. Wearily, she stated up at the ceiling, a frown set in her features.

Max would definitely be going out for the tournament, she thought, her eyes closing. It was a great way to show that all of his backyard blading had finally paid off. Besides, he hadn't been in a real tournament for a few years now; it was his way to prove his worth in the eyes of champion beybladers.

_'So what's stopping you?'_

She jumped, her eyes springing open as a harsh, low woman's voice seemed to speak in her ear. She jerked into an upright position, looking around the room in confusion for a sign of the owner of the voice. The small room was void of any other person than herself, and a moment later, she shook her head and lay back down.

She was probably hearing things now, just to add to her jealousy complex. Great. This month couldn't get any wor –

She felt her muscles tense as she heard a familiar sound. A low, rotating sound like a marble rolling across the floor, but different somehow. It was a scraping, carving sound and it made her jump upwards again to catch whoever was doing that in their tracks.

What she saw made her heart seem to constrict.

The blade on the dresser was spinning rapidly on the flat-top, its top-part swirling so fast that the attack-ring seemed to fade into a lone circle of black. She felt goosebumps creeping over her skin, and she didn't know whether to back away from the ghost blade or not.

_'Fool.'_

She jumped again. "Who said that?

_'I did.'_

"Yeah, that really helps," Chaya mumbled. "I could be talking to myself for all I know. Insanity isn't that uncommon in kids."

_'Stop your incessant babbling. Look to your right.'_

Whirling around, Chaya stared at the small, cracked mirror in the corner, her eyes immediately on the blowing bit-clip at her neck. She gasped. "Zorn."

The clip pulsed its affirmation, but before the thing could say anymore, Max had burst through the door, his face flushed with happiness. "Hey Chaya, Dad's taking me, you, Takao and Kyoujiu out for supper. Any preference – what's with the blade?"

Chaya glanced back at the still spinning blade and grabbed it quickly, hiding it behind her back. "I wanted to see if I could still launch one. And I could. No big."

Max nodded, still looking at her carefully. "Are you okay? You look kinda pale."

"I'm always pale, Max, I spend all of my time cooped up in the house reading books and messing up peoples internet message boards. You'd be pale if you did that too."

"Okay, okay, sheesh, you don't have to bite my head off," Max grinned, his eyes shining. "So, you coming?"

She looked back at the mirror hesitantly, even though the bit had stopped gleaming the minute Max had appeared.

"Yeah, I'm coming."

* * *

WELL, THERE WE GO. FIRST CHAPPY, BASED ON SHOW, WITH CHAYA IN IT. BIT PREDICTABLE, BUT HEY. IT STOPS BEING LIKE THAT FOR A WHILE AFTER THE REGIONALS, THEN AFTER THE AMERICAN TOURNAMENTS. 

REVIEWS

DAIYO!

KQ


	3. Chapter Two

The Underdog Syndrome

**Author**: KuriQuinn

**Title**: The underdog Syndrome

**Fandom**: Beyblade

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Beyblade, but if I did I'd probably be rich and still reading fanfiction

**Pairing**: I'll never tell…

**Rating**: PG-13 for language

**Summary**: A teen with heavy emotional baggage is suddenly thrown back into the world of beyblading, only to be thrown a series of lives curveballs a day at a time.

**Takes Place:** Series

**Note**: Sorry for having uploaded the wrong thing. Guess you all got a turn when a Ceres fic showed up instead, huh? Sorry!

_

* * *

Chapter Two: _

_October 6, 2001_

Chaya craned her neck around the corner to see if anyone was coming. When it was evident that no one was, she let out a loud sigh of relief and walked out into the open of the corridor. She didn't know what she was so worried about. No one around here knew her – except for Daitenji-san, but he was probably organizing things up above the stadium anyway – and yet the feeling of nervousness refused to leave her.

That and the guilty feeling, she reminded herself grimly. That stupid tugging sensation at the back of her mind had been looming over her ever since she left the house that morning and lied to her father and brother about going to find the library.

'There was really no point to that,' she chastised herself, ignoring the echoing of her feet against the concrete dugout hallways of the seaside stadium, searching for the entrance to the arena. 'They'll find out anyway.' She clutched her registration number to her.

She knew that if she hadn't lied, she wouldn't have gotten two feet outside the door.

Hm, make that one foot. Her father would have tried the guilt-trip crap, and the 'it's for your own good' speech, and Max would have tried the optimistic 'maybe one day' angle. She'd had enough of both of these methods in the past few years to make her sick. Excuse her for being a little rebellious.

She paused in her thoughts for a moment, and then corrected herself. 'Not just rebellious. Tired and freaked-out.'

The impromptu appearance of Zorn the week before had caught her off-guard and disrupted her focus for the rest of the week. Not even beginning school had been able to take her mind off of it, constantly feeling the dark presence somewhere. Even after tossing the pendant deep into the pockets of one of her drawers, she continued to feel it. She had tried to ignore it, knowing that if she gave in it would be like opening Pandora's Box all over again.

Luckily for her, Max hadn't mentioned anything about the self-spinning beyblade to her father, although that could have been accounted by the fact that the two of them had started school the Monday after the incident. To Max's delighted surprise, they had enrolled in the same school and class as Takao and Kyoujiu, so they hadn't had any trouble finding people to hang around with during the recesses and on their way home from school. Chaya had decided to give the two a chance, and found that both of them were actually pretty okay people. Takao, although a little hyperactive and cocky, always managed to make her laugh, and Kyoujiu was too cute not to like. Although he was three years younger than all of them, he was probably the most intelligent.

The only problems that Chaya did have with school, however, lay with the annoying, know-it-all class president Tachibana Hiromi and the fact that the majority of the class consisted of beyblade freaks that were all talking about entering the big tournament that weekend. She spent her first week listening to battle strategies and of kids boasting their skills, as well as battling each other during recess. Max and Takao seemed to lead these kids, constantly matching each other tit-for-tat.

It was Gamma Yoshi's idea that she should enter too, amazingly enough.

Her father's mother had demanded dinner with them the Friday night before the qualifying tournaments, and had noticed that her silence as Max talked about entering the next day. While clearing away the dinner, Gamma Yoshi had cornered her and demanded why she didn't just go ahead and enter.

"Goodness knows I think it's just a stupid game, but if your brother can play it, so can you," the iron-gray haired woman had harrumphed. "And he's much more delicate than you. You've got some spunk to you, that boy would cry if he hurt a fly. Don't you worry about your _otosan_, I'll deal with him if he gives you any guff. Trust me."

There were times when she thought Gamma Yoshi had spent a little too much time in New York as a child…

After that it had been a mere dilemma, hovering between the decision of whether if she did she should tell her dad and Max, or not.

Obviously, the answer had presented itself thanks to heavy procrastination: coward's way out. Less of a chance of getting guilted out of things…

Hence her current position, sneaking around beneath the _Kaihin no Tengai _beystadium.

With a groan, she let her free hand smack upwards, blocking her eyes from the sight around her. She'd gotten lost. How the hell had she gotten lost inside of a stupid building that could probably pass for a hockey arena? Granted, her sense of direction wasn't at its strongest, but that didn't mean she should be doomed to wander lost in the stupidest of places…

Her inner thoughts were interrupted as all of a sudden, Chaya found herself on the floor, her eyes raised upwards in confusion, her backside smarting painfully. 'Huh? How did I get here?'

It took her a few moments to notice the boy, although when she did, she wondered how she could possibly have missed him. He wasn't the most abnormal looking teenager she had seen in her life (Takao still winning that award by at least a thousand points), but casual couldn't have described him either.

Although he wore gray-blue cargo pants, a black wifebeater and strangely enough, a long white scarf, any careless ideas were swept away by the aggressively painted blue triangles on his cheeks. His face and eye-shape were clearly Asian, and she was amazed to see that his eyes were an almost crimson color staring out from beneath slate, almost ash colouredhair.

Not that she really cared about looks at the moment. What she cared about, was the fact that her butt was still on the cold ground, quite painfully too, and he was just standing there.

She narrowed her eyes. "You just going to stand there, or eventually help me up?"

He blinked, as though really noticing her for the first time, and then turned his back on her completely, walking away.

"Hey! No apology!" she yelled after him, still on the ground. He paused, and then spoke in a flat, sarcastic voice.

"I guess not, considering you were the one that wasn't watching where you were going," he inclined his head slightly, so that she could see the corner of his eyes watching her in a condescending manner. "You're not the only person on this planet, kid, maybe you should learn that."

And he disappeared around the corner, leaving her gaping at the place he had just been standing.

"You-you-_you ugly triangle-faced-freak!_' she yelled after him, pulling herself to her feet, fists clenched angrily. "I was not the one who wasn't watching, you're the one that knocked me over! Stupid jerk!"

She crossed her arms angrily, facing the empty spot with a deep frown on her face. If she ever ran into that guy again, she'd give him a piece of her mind. Okay, so maybe she really hadn't been watching where she was going, but she sure as hell wasn't going to admit that to him!

_"Contestants competing in Block A, please enter the arena through the eastern wing. Contestants competing in Block A, please enter the arena through the eastern wing. The competition will begin in ten minutes."_

Chaya's ears perked up at the sound of the announcers over the intercom, and she glanced down at her registration number. She was in the A Block.

"And so it begins," she huffed, continuing on her path, which led opposite of where the stranger had gone. Now the challenge wasn't to beyblade, it was to actually figure out the winding tunnels and corridors and find her way to the arena without losing herself to the maze. It was times like these that she wondered why human beings hadn't evolved enough to produce homing devices, or sonar hearing like bats had. Hey, it would save a hell of a lot of trouble, especially for mothers when they lost their kids in the malls and spent half of their shopping days trying to find them again…

But that was just Chaya's opinion, something people had long ago learned to ignore due to random bursts of insanity –

"_Contestants competing in Block A, please enter the arena through the eastern wing. Contestants competing in Block A, please enter the arena through the eastern wing. The competition will begin in five minutes."_

"Damn it!"

She broke into a run, careening through the concrete halls and up a flight of stairs, nearly breaking her wrist on a locked door, and having to turn tail again and run down the other corridor. After at least ten wrong turns, she could hear the loud cheers of the audience announcing the arrival of the other contestants. A frenzy set in and she ran through the underground, bashing through doors that she was sure had been locked just a moment ago, and practically vaulting herself into the stairwell leading to the eastern wing of the Seaside Dome arena.

The further she got, the more she could hear, specifically from the DJ's. "…in order to advance, all unseated Beybladers must defeat our defending champion, Hiwatari Kai, in a free for all. This means the last beyblade spinning wins. ConsideringHiwatari-san isn't in this block, we might as well – what's this? We have a late arriver, folks!" She could practically feel the eyes of everyone as she hurried into the wide open space, managing to reach the dish just as they made a note of her appearance. She stopped a few feet from the dish, bending over with her head between her knees to catch her breath. "You okay, kid?"

"Yeah, just start already," she panted. "I'm ready."

"You sure?" the man in his early twenties questioned, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Know what I'm not sure about?" she demanded. "Why you're asking me stupid questions."

"Okay, okay, chill out, kid," the guy said quickly. He turned around, looking a little miffed, and faced the rest of the beybladers. There were at least twenty others that she could see; all of them had the look of rookie bladers that were just there for the chance to show off. She could easily beat them…hopefully…

"Alright bladers, let's get this show on the road! Take your positions!"

Still trying to catch her breath, Chaya clicked the beyblade into the launcher, joining the crowded space around the semi-sphere in the middle of the ground. She inhaled deeply, trying to calm herself down. Just a game. That's all it was. A really stupid kid's game and she just wanted to be a kid for as long as she could. No other reason…

Denial sucked.

"Three! Two! One! Let it rip!"

Chaya pulled back on the rip-cord, practically feeling the gears of her blade clicking together and spinning together, and watched the now rotating disk clatter against the smooth surface of the dish, immediately taking out three or four blades as it went.

There were cheers echoing from all over.

She smirked. What the heck had she been afraid of? This game was cake! She could easily take out the rest of the competition, finish the game, and possibly disappear home without her father and Max even noticing that it was her down there. After all, Max, it seemed, was in another block, and their dad would probably be watching that one. Unless she and Max had to go head to head, she'd be great. She watched the black blur that was her blade take out another opponent. Perfect, fool-proof plan.

"Ladies in gentlemen, it looks as though Hiwatari-san isn't the only blader of standing in this tournament," one of the commentators said on loud-speaker. Chaya blinked, and then watched in horror as her own face was displayed on the large screen above the stands, as well as stats on her whereabouts and former beyblade criteria. "It seems today is a day to come out of retirement for Chaya Tate, the American Solo finalist that made a name for herself at Vancouver Island 1994. We might get to see some top-notch, professional action in the future!"

She found herself immobilized at the unexpected introduction, as well as a loud cheer from a portion of the audience near the back. Must have been the soloist veteran bladers…but those chumps! Now she was definitely in trouble, unless her father was both deaf and blind…which she knew he wasn't…

"Hey, primadonna, you gonna blade, or just have your spinning top avoid us all day?"

She looked back at her opponents, ten of which remained, who were now looking at her as though she was fresh meat. Undoubtedly, these kids seemed to have decided on a new goal: wipe her out and prove their worth for defeating a former championship blader. She recognized the over-confident looks on their faces, and held back a smirk and a condescending shake of her head. They wished.

Ignoring them, she looked down on the blade. Like every blade, it needed a specific amount of will-power to drive it. Only when one had practiced and finely attuned their power of will would one be able to order the blade's movements. It would be harder for her than she had done in a while to command a crude blade, but she would rather risk that then control one that had Zorn imbued within it. She had done it before, she could do it again. "Go for a full frontal and steal the dish out from under them."

In response, her blade stopped spinning away from the opponents' blades and headed towards them at full speed, bringing up dust behind it. She could barely hear the DJ's words as he explained what was going on to those that couldn't see, watching as her blade dutifully took out yet another weak beyblade. These kids were definitely going to have to work on their skills for the next tournament.

Just as another lap around the dish was about to begin, she felt eyes on her back, and tensed. Whoever it was, their gaze was cold and calculating, so she didn't have to worry about it being her brother or father. Not even Takao or Kyoujiu could have managed the feeling that was making her shiver with wariness. Whoever it was was analyzing her every move and had been since the announcement of her presence.

How had she not noticed it before? she wondered, as the blade absently tossed out another plastic top.

Well, if this person wanted a demonstration, she'd give it to him!

"Rear-bound them," she ordered, feeling, rather than seeing the blade shimmer from view, the shocked exclamations from her opponents telling her it had done its disappearing act. She hadn't originally wanted to beat them brutally, but if someone was scoping out her talent, she might as well give them a taste.

There was a shocked gasp as her blade appeared above them all, almost hovering in the sky like a strange bird of pray, zeroing in on its kill.

The corners of her mouth turned upward as she willed it to take out the lagging three blades behind, and she felt the swoop of the blade as it hurtled towards the ground like some kind of scavenger, ready to rest on the lowly, weaker parties.

A dark flash sizzled up and down her spine, making her choke and double over.

Everything seemed to stop in time suddenly, leaving the stadium an empty black, making Chaya think of a photographic negative. Her joints seemed to have frozen, and the loudness, the cheering of the audience, the cry of her opponents all ceased for a second of endless quiet.

_'You're not free of me yet, stupid girl.'_

Her eyes widened as the sound suddenly came rushing back at her like a crashing tidal wave, magnified by the screeching laughter that pounded in her ears. She watched the blade speed up towards the ground, burning with a sinister black light. It looked like a comet as it hurtled back towards the dish. She knew what was going to happen…she could see an almost prophetic vision taking place in her head, and seconds later it became a reality when a thunderous noise ripped through the arena.

A dark light smashed into the ground, although no damage was made. It was almost like a psychic blast had torn through the arena and decimated the blades.

Decimated wasn't even a strong enough word to describe it. As the mist cleared around the beydish, she felt her mouth open in awe at the sight.

Not one whole beyblade remained.

It was as though something had taken a hammer and shattered them all, because all that remained in the places where there had been blades were the sprinklings and dust of plastic shavings and metal clippings. The owners of the blades stared in mild horror at the remains of their beyblades, as though they didn't understand how it had occurred.

They weren't the only ones.

Chaya found herself immobilized by the sight. How…she had locked _her _away! She had taken every precaution for _her_not to interfere this time, and yet…

_'Do you really think you have ever been rid of me? I have rested within you since you first happened upon me,' _the voice of the sacred spirit thundered with her cruel voice. _'I merely disappeared for a short time to allot you time to embrace the truth.'_

'Truth,' she thought numbly. 'What truth?'

'_You can never be rid of me. So don't try.'_

"W-well," the DJ said, approaching her again and watching her warily, as though she might exact the same treatment of the destroyed beyblades on his face, "it seems as though Tate is back in the business of things. I haven't seen a win that fast in a long time – or such a brutal one, either."

She felt a wave of nausea break over her, and whirled around hurriedly, one thought in her mind: find a bathroom. She ignored the confused call of the DJ, as well as the cold gaze from the boy stranger that seemed to have been her silent watcher, passing him by in the stairwell as she scurried towards the lavatories.

The bile rose in her throat just as she entered the room, and she almost didn't make it to the toilet before she threw up the contents of what she'd eaten earlier that day.

Dizzy, and her head pounding with the pulse of her blood in her ears, she sat back on the floor of the public washroom, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. Everything seemed to be churning within her, and she tried to stop herself from shivering. She had forgotten the after-effects…how could she have forgotten the damned after-effects?

She closed her eyes.

Had it really been so long since she had been in the thrall and connection of Zorn? It was normal for bonding with a sacred spirit to initially take energy out of the host, but with Chaya it seemed to triple. Especially after such a long period of the withdrawal…

She moaned and let her head fall back painfully against the door of the lavatory.

What had she done?

"Chaya?"

Her eyes sprang open at the voice of her brother through the door, and she quickly scrambled to her feet, flushing the toilet and hurrying out of the stall. "Just a sec!" she called, feigning the cheerful note in her voice as she hurriedly washed her hands and mouth to hide the telltale signs. She checked herself in the mirror, pasting a cheerfully sardonic and over-confident look on her face, before swaggering out and hugging her brother quickly.

"Did ya see, Maxie?" she squealed, pseudo-cheerfully. "I whipped 'em good – woulda stuck around for the after party, but when you gotta go, you gotta go."

Her twin was looking at her with a mixture of worry, amazement and disappointment. "Chays…what are you doing?"

"Uh…talking to you?"

"No, I mean entering the tournament," her brother insisted, looking frustrated and confused. "Why didn't you tell me?"

She frowned. "Because you would have tried to stop me."

"Well, yeah," he looked at her seriously. "I regret not having to have been able to."

She tensed, and then frowned at him. "What do you mean, 'regret'? Max, this wasn't your decision to make, and I'm sick and tired of being left out of all the fun because I happened to have an episode a few years ago."

"An episode that nearly had you end up like Becky!"

"Can we not get into her right now?" Chaya asked darkly. "She has nothing to do with me. And besides. It's just a game. A game that I used to be good at until all of you started acting like mother-hens and Judy started to treat me as a science experiment!"

"Look, we're just worried about you!" Max argued. "Why can't you be the least bit grateful?"

"Because grateful isn't fair!" she cried. "I hate having to sit in the background all the time!" She saw Max's face fall, and she immediately felt worse. "Look, Max, I promise nothing will happen. I'll be fine. I'm strong, remember?"

He paused for a second, and then nodded. "I know that, Chays. But try telling that to Dad. I think you should have told him at least."

"He would have been even more stubborn," she tossed her hair. "Come on, Max, you know him. If I had told him, he'd have stayed home and not even come to see you battle just to make sure I didn't leave the house."

Max looked doubtful, his blue eyes still worried. "I guess…"

"Look, leave Dad to me, the worst he can do is forbid me from beyblading, something I'll still try to do, then he'll ground me, and the only thing he can really take from me is books, so I'm good. Unless he goes after my chocolate, and then I'll be having word with a lawyer."

Now her brother laughed and reached over, squeezing her shoulder. "Well, when you put it that way." They grinned at each other, before her turned serious again. "But if anything bad does start to happen, you'll tell me?"

She could hear Zorn's laughter in her ears, but smiled winningly anyway. "Who else would I go to? A stranger or someone I shared the womb with?"

"You know, the amount of times you say that…not sure I can believe you there…"

"Max!"

(-)

Thankfully, her father waited until after Max had gone up to the dish to compete, and won the spot for Block B to confront her. She was glad that he at least managed to see his son do something for him to be proud of before he went to tell her off. As they watched Kyoujiu enter the stadium on the television that was set up in the training room, he looked down at her gravely, making her stomach leap guiltily.

"Chaya, I'm extremely disappointed in you," he began, his voice calm and collected. The situation was not helped by the fact that he actually did look it. "Not so much in the fact that you entered the tournament when you knew how I felt about it…just that you did so behind my back. I feel as though my trust in you has been broken."

"I'm sorry, Dad," she said, looking down at her toes. "But I knew you wouldn't let me if I told you."

Her father looked saddened. "I – look, I just don't want you to get hurt."

"I know that! But I'm not a weak little kid anymore! I actually know what I'm doing and I know the consequences of screwing up," Chaya said, her temper sparking a little. "I know that when it comes down to the nitty-gritty, it's all just a game. And I can walk away. I promise, nothing bad will happen."

Her father was silent, and Chaya sighed, knowing the probable outcome. He would guilt-trip her. It was inevitable. She wished she could do what he wanted in this case. To her father, beyblading was just a means for business. He could make a week's salary on the amount of kids who would come to him daily for repairs, and he knew everything there was to know almost. But to him it would always be just a fad that the kids followed. To her and Max, it wasn't just a game. It was about being able to train their willpower to the greatest, and go head to head with people from other backgrounds.

That and the power, she reminded herself, although grudgingly. That had been a major factor back when she was a little kid. With Zorn, she had risen to the top. And it had cost her.

"I don't like it," her father's voice startled her, but when she looked up, she was even more confused that his face now held some semblance of a smile. "But I guess it's unfair to not let you do the same as your brother. I just don't want you hurt."

"I know, I know, and I promise, 'kay?" she said, latching onto her father and hugging him. "And Maxie will be there to keep me out of trouble if anything happens."

"Ugh, are you two finished?"

Chaya and her father looked up to Takao, who was seated in the row of seats before them, his arms crossed as he grinned widely up at Chaya. "How am I supposed to look forward to a match with a sappy, girly-girl? I mean, considering I'm going to win the next block and probably face off against you or Makkusu."

"'Max', you dork, _Ma-AX_," Chaya stressed her brother's name, trying to get the Japanese boy to pronounce it properly. "Kyoujiu got it, why can't you? And for the record, that's you wishing you'll get anywhere near my blade!"

"Speaking of Kyoujiu, guys," Max cleared his throat from where he was sitting in front of the screen. "They're restarting the Block C tournament. Kyoujiu's managed to hold his own. I think they're just clearing out all the beyblades that didn't make it."

Chaya looked up to study the frame. It was true. The young boy had managed to survive the first round and was left facing off against –

_Him_!

"That's the jerk that bumped into me and wouldn't apologize!" she cried out, pointed down at the slate-haired teen that stood at the furthest end of the beydish on the screen. He was looking at Kyoujiu with the same look of condescending indifference that he had looked at her with.

"That's Hiwatari," Takao looked at her, confused. "You didn't tell me you met him."

"I didn't know who it was," she frowned. "Besides, he's a jerk. Why should I have bothered to mention him in normal conversation that didn't involve cave men, pointing and grunting?"

"He also happens to be the defending champion," Takao deadpanned, his dark eyes gleaming in a way that showed Takao intended to change that.

"Oh…well, in that case," Chaya shrugged. "Kyoujiu's got no chance."

"Hey! Don't say that!" Max said, at the same time that Takao cried. "How would you know, you've never seen him blade before!"

Chaya didn't reply, preferring to shrug and watch the match, as though it would be the deciding factor. She couldn't help but know that this Hiwatari person would win. From what she had seen of Kyoujiu, the kid was more or less the braniac computer type, not a beyblader. His willpower stopped at computer defragmentation...

So when the audience watched in awe as Hiwatari's blade tossed Kyoujiu's from the dish like a rag doll, she didn't join in the shouts of shock from Takao and Max. It had been expected.

What hadn't been expected was when Takao decided to play the do-gooder, wronged friend and confront him directly. Nor had it been expected that she would allow Max to drag her after him to restrain the hyperactive Japanese blader.

"You and me, right here!" Takao demanded furiously when the three reached the entrance to the arena. Hiwatari was already walking away, leaving Kyoujiu to embrace his loss alone, and not even showing any acknowledgment to having heard Takao at all. "Come on!"

"Don't," Max warned, restraining Takao. "You'll get kicked out."

"He did beat Kyoujiu-san fair and square," Chaya commented. "You shouldn't get yourself disqualified just because you want to avenge your friend on such a lost cause." She glanced over at the formerly retreating form of Hiwatari, who had stopped moving and seemed to be listening. She could picture a self-satisfied smirk on his face, and it was taking a lot of her will-power not to knock out Takao and just attack the jerk herself. "Do the right thing and beat him in the dish."

Takao was silent, and then when Max let go of his arms, he sighed loudly, and crossed his arms. "I guess you're right."

"'Course I'm right, I'm me," Chaya rolled her eyes, as though it was the most common knowledge in the world.

"Ha, ha, don't get all full of yourself," the blue-eyed boy grumbled. "You're next, after I beat Hiwatari…"

There was a low chuckle, and Chaya, Max and Takao looked over towards the other blader in confusion. His low, taunting voice was barely audible over the crowd. "That is of course, if you think you're up to it. But I really doubt that."

"Ignore him, Takao," Chaya ordered before the other boy even managed to open his mouth. "I bet he just can't speak normally to people, so he has to act like an asshole."

"Yeah…whatever," the older teen shrugged, beginning to walk away. Chaya felt annoyance spark through her. This guy really seemed to think he was all that? He seemed to radiate a sense of condescending superiority and in the total seven minutes that she had known him, she had decided right away that she didn't like him. At all.

Seething the entire time that Takao bladed his way through the Block D branch of the tournament, she caught herself drifting back into the competitive thoughts that had plagued her once before. Flashes of her earlier battle in the qualifying tournaments made her shiver, especially when she realized now that a part of her wanted to reduce anyone that challenged her into a pile of dust.

'Not going to happen,' she vowed. 'I'll play this fair, and not the way you want it, you psycho freak.'

The darker side seemed to bristle at these words. _'And who do you think you are to stop me, you foolish child. My power has existed for centuries before you were even a thought_.'

She glanced over at Max, who was engrossed in watching Takao evade the group of bladers that had begun to gang up on him. He shouted out words of encouragement that were matched only by Kyoujiu's. She could see her father was for once not glancing worriedly at her as he had been for the entire day. 'I promised them, and I intend to keep that promise. And no whisper of an angry poltergeist is going to make me break it.'

There was an enraged shriek that made her wince and she suddenly found herself flying face forward, and a sharp pain in her forehead as it connected with the seat in front of her.

Stars flying around her eyes, she didn't hear her brother and father calling her name until a few minutes later. And that was the same moment that she felt her eyes roll back in her head and found herself swimming in a sea of darkness.

* * *

There we go, yet another chapter. I figured that might give things a little 'oomph!' and strayed a little from the actual series. Hope you didn't mind it. 

TTFN,

Kuriness


	4. Chapter Three

**_The Underdog Syndrome_**

**Author**: KuriQuinn

**Title**: The Underdog Syndrome

**Fandom**: Beyblade

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Beyblade, but if I did I'd probably be rich and still reading fanfiction

**Pairing**: I'll never tell…

**Rating**: PG-13 for language

**Summary**: A teen with heavy emotional baggage is suddenly thrown back into the world of beyblading, only to be thrown a series of lives curveballs a day at a time.

**Takes Place:** Series

* * *

October 7, 2001 

_Blinded by the swirling mists of black, she held her hands over her ears as she walked, trying to keep out the loud, mirth-filled shrieks that surrounded her. She was cold and swore she could feel eyes on her wherever she went._

_'Where am I…' she wondered, looking around. Everywhere she looked, there was only darkness. Out of it, something flew at her, knocking her to the ground. In a flash she was up again, flailing around, trying to see her attacker…_

_"Who are you?" she demanded. "Where am I?"_

_"You know very well who I am," sneered a voice throughout everything. "As to where you are…" There was another burst of shrieking laughter, like nails on a chalkboard._

_"Get away from me," Chaya hissed, recognizing the enemy, but she was lashed out against again and fell to the ground._

_"Let me free," the voice hissed again, all around her. "Think of all I can do for you…"_

_"I don't care," Chaya snapped, looking defiantly into the mist. "I won't let it happen again!"_

_There was a long silence._

_"Fine," whispered a voice in her ear. She whirled around and her eyes widened in horror as the thing prepared for its attack. "You're digging your own grave, fool."_

_It flew at her and she screamed._

Flying upwards in bed, still screaming, she only calmed down when she felt the reassuring hands of her brother as he tried to shake her awake.

"Chaya! Chaya, wake up, it's just a dream!" he called loudly in a voice still tinged with sleep, pulling her into a reassuring hug. He was patting her on the back, and she was breathing rapidly, noticing that her father had appeared in the doorway looking worried. He held a full glass of water in one hand and a cloth in the other.

"What…wait, where am I?" she murmured dazedly, looking around her small shared room in confusion, the sinister shapes disappearing as the light flooded over the forms of their dresser and bookshelf. The last thing she remembered was a shriek and a pain above her eyes before nothing.She peered at Max, as though trying to see him through a narrowed view. "The last thing I remember was the beystadium…"

"You blacked out, honey," her father explained, looking concerned as he crossed the few steps into the room. She inhaled sharply as he placed the cold compress over her face and held it there. "What happened?"

"I dunno…" she mumbled, frowning beneath the compress as she lied with ease. She had a very good idea as to what had happened to her, but now she had to find a way to keep that from her father and brother, both of whom were looking at her expectantly. She coughed nervously, looking away, and tried to feign an expression of deep thought from beneath the compress. "Oh yeah…I think I know. I didn't eat breakfast or lunch yesterday before the tournament, and you guys saw how excited I got."

"That sounds about right," her father nodded. "What were you thinking? Honey, I don't have to go into a lecture about how dieting is bad for you, do I?"

"Dad!" she howled, now annoyed. "Do I look like one of those anorexic teeny-boppers! I don't care about the way I loo– "

"I'm just saying…" her father held up his hands, one still holding the glass of water. He looked as though he was on the verge of believing her but was still having his doubts. She coughed again, trying to figure out what else she could say to cement her story. Her face throbbed beneath the coolness and she nearly cheered at the new idea.

"Why does my face hurt so much, anyway?"

"You hit up against the seat in front of you," Max enlightened her, and even though she remembered that part slighly, she nodded calculatingly, as though learning about it for the first time and accepting this as true.

"Explains a lot…"

She allowed her father to hand her the glass of water. "I'm going to go make you something to eat, honey, I don't want you doing this again. Especially today. You have an important match coming up."

"Oh yeah," she moaned, sinking back against her bed and reaching up to press the ice pack tighter onto her bruised face. "Hey, what time is it?"

"About one in the morning," Max said, leaning over her as he sat at the edge of their bunk bed. His hair was tussled and he wore only a pair of boxers and a t-shirt. "You've been out for a little less than twelve hours."

"Must have been one hell of a hit to the head," she frowned into the twilight of her room. The hall light was the only source of light in the entire house. Down the hall she could hear her father moving around the room, trying to find the right kitchen supplies to cook. She looked up at Max. "I guess I missed a lot, huh?"

"Well, yeah," her brother said, and then yawned. "Takao won the match, in case you're wondering. It was supposed to be that all the quarter-finalists would have to face each other in the semifinals…"

"But?" she prompted, reaching for the glass again to quench her dry throat.

"Daitenji-san decided to raise the stakes," Max reached upwards and pulled his blanket off of the top bunk and wrapped himself in it. "He personally invited some unknown blader into the tournament and placed him into the semi finals. That means there are five competitors instead of four. Daitenji-san decided to randomly select two out of the five to compete for place in the semi-finals, and he pushed the rest of the tournament up until next Saturday."

"So…?"

Max looked uncomfortable. "Well…we were the ones chosen randomly to battle."

Chaya didn't move for a long moment as she digested this. All that she could come up with to think was that this wasn't good. Not at all. She could easily convince Max that she was fine and not feeling the after effect of Zorn when he was in the spectator stands, far away. But if he were right in front of her, he was bound to notice something was wrong.

And besides, Zorn had made it clear that she was out for vengeance, blood and any other way to exert her power.

"Sibling rivalry goes to the next level, huh?" she whispered, trying to shrug it off as no big deal. "I get to show you my l337 moves, huh?"

"Okay, stop with the computer talk, right there!" her brother snapped, poking her. "I hate when you do that!"

"Get used to a lot of things you don't like! Like losing!" she teased him in a sing-song voice, removing her cold compress to fix him in a condescending stare.

"Hah! You wish!"

As Max went on to tell her the many ways she was going to lose, she felt herself looking away, her eyes drifting into a half-lidded state.

What was she going to do now? Facing off at Max was not the best thing for her to be doing right now. Especially with the lack of control that she had over her own bitbeast. What if what had happened all that time ago happened again later that day? And in front of Max, no less? She felt her fists clench. She remembered the solo tournaments…she had gone into arrest and her opponent had sustained two broken hands and a lot of deep cuts from the force…

She didn't mind anything happening to her, but if anything happened to Max, she didn't know what she'd do.

She clenched her fists in determination, curling closer into her blanket. 'I won't let you do anything to him, you psycho-spirit freak!'

(-)

After a hearty after-midnight snack and a lot of sleep, her father pronounced her perfectly healthy again and drove her and Max to the Seaside Dome. Takao and Kyoujiu met them at the door, waving frantically. Chaya applauded them inwardly for their dedication to their friends, because it just so happened that it was pouring rain that day. She and Max hurried from the parking lot as their father went to park the car, their rain slickers making slapping sounds as the rain beat down on them.

"Hey guys, late much?" Takao sniggered. He grinned at Chaya. "You look like a drowned rat."

"You're going to know the meaning of drowned in about two seconds," she threatened him back as she pulled the plastic coat off of her, ignoring the splatter of water as it hit the floor. Despite the covering, her jeans and t-shirt were sufficiently wet around the ankles and collar. "I'll gallantly prove that it's possible to drown in an inch of rain water."

"I'm so stoked for this match," Takao chatted, ignoring Chaya and throwing his arm over Max's shoulder as they got ready to lead him down the hallway. "I mean, how many times do you get the publicly beat your sister?"

"Or your brother," Chaya reminded him as she joined the three boys.

"Regardless of who wins, this is definitely going to be an interesting match," Kyoujiu said decidedly. "Two top beybladers in a regional tournament? Everyone's going to want to see this one!"

"Gee, thanks, no pressure," Max laughed.

Chaya looked down, on the pretense of fixing her watch, trying to figure out why she had such a bad feeling about this. Something seemed to be foreboding…like the threat of a storm on a perfectly calm day. The beyblade in her pocket seemed to hum with energy from the bit clip, and she made a face. She had already entertained the thought about just not using the bitbeast. But she knew from experienced that Zorn wouldn't let that stop her. The incidents in the back alley the week before had convinced her that even if she was separated by an entire country from the sacred spirit, she could still be controlled and control the blade. It was as though she now shared half of herself with this unwanted visitor.

"Hey Chays, you okay?" Max poked her, as though to see if she were still conscious.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Strategizing and all."

"Uh-huh, right," her brother smirked. "I bet you're just shaking in your boots over there because you know I'm going to win."

"Maxie, you haven't won anything against me since we were five and you cheated at Monopoly."

"Uh…you were the one that cheated."

"Not the point. The point is, you're going to lose."

A loud voice over the intercom interrupted the two of them as the halls echoed with the recorded voice. _"Would the exhibition match competitors please report to the Beystadium through Gate A?"_

"That's us," Max grinned, clasping Chaya's hand. "Shall we?"

"Yeah, in a sec," she replied, tossing her hair. They turned a corner before reaching the stairway and she paused before one of the public washrooms. "I'll meet you in the stadium, I'm just going to duck in here quickly."

"Oh, come on," Takao scoffed. "Don't tell me you have to touch up your make up!"

She scowled. "Newsflash, _baka_, I don't wear any."

He blinked, and then laughed. "Oh. Well, then, that would explain a lot."

Chaya glared and raised her fist. "I hope you enjoyed the use of your legs, Kinomiya, because after I'm through with you you're going to be a paraplegic!"

"Uh…heh, heh, how about we listen to the lady and see her later?" Takao rambled, grabbing Max and Kyoujiu forcedly and pulling them up the stairs. Chaya watched them go with a smirk on her face, and lowered her fist. For a moment she just stood there, listening to the applause and cheers as Max appeared on the scene. She could imagine his sheepish look as he waved shyly, and Takao and Kyoujiu cheering loudly for him in the front row. Maybe even Dad?

A flash of cold snuck up her body through her spine, making her inhale sharply. The goose bumps rose over her arms and legs and she sighed heavily, pushing through the heavy door and into the bathroom. She could recognize all the symptoms, a warning of what was going to come. With quick, deft movements she approached one of the sinks and turned the knob, listening to the sound of the rushing water, before cupping her hands to catch it within them.

The cool water hit her face like a shock and she looked up into the mirror, her face dripping. She didn't look any better, and all she had succeeded in doing was wetting the neckline of her T-shirt. Groaning, she reached for a paper towel to dry herself off, and just as she finished, her eyes rested on her bitbeast pendant, gleaming at her in a pleading way.

Too bad she knew Zorn never pleaded. "Nice try. But you've done enough damage."

Without waiting to hear the reprimand or to give the spirit a chance to throw her against any more hard, metal objects, she turned on her heel and stalked out of the room. She could almost feel the glaring black eyes on her from all sides, but ignored it. She wasn't going to let her get the best of her today…

_"Could Chaya Tate please report to the beystadium?_" demanded the loudspeaker through the entire complex, the concrete halls making it echo even louder in an eerie, haunting way. "_Chaya Tate, please report to the beystadium."_

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" she yelled, jogging up the stairs two at a time and bursting into the stadium. "Don't freak out!"

Max was already standing at the other side of the humongous dish, classic bowl in shape, looking at her questioningly. His beyblade and launcher in hand, he cocked his head to one side. "Hey, are you alright?"

"Never better," she assured him, flashing him a peace sign. "Let's start this thing."

"You sure? I mean, we could wait a minute for you to just – "

"Maxie, don't make me hurt you," she narrowed her eyes, pulling out her bey-launcher and fixing the blade into it in almost professional, businesslike movements. "All this chatter's making me think you're afraid of facing me."

He scoffed. "Am not!"

"Uh huh," she rolled her eyes and got into her launching stance, one leg moving behind the other and bending slightly at the knee. "How 'bout a deal; winner buys loser a pack of pocky."

"Deal then," her brother said, his eyes closing almost in nervous relief. "Just…no matter what, let's both play our best."

Chaya opened her mouth, feeling the words of ascent carrying through the air even though she felt that strange foreboding again. Not a good omen. "You bet."

"Would the two competitors please take their ready positions?" the DJ asked loudly. He was a young man with crude features, wearing a bandana and headphones. Chaya remembered Takao having called him 'Jazzman' or something along the lines…of course, coming from him it had sounded more like 'Jasumanu'.

She could hear the announcers going over their statistics of both her and Max, as well as telling the audience that the winner of this sudden-death match would go on to face Kai, the reigning regional champion. She smirked, thinking of exactly how she'd go about beating him.

Not help her up, would he! Hah! Jackass…

"Ready!" She looked at Max and grinned as he mouthed 'Good luck', replying in the like 'you too.' "_Ichi__ Ni! San! Chi! Let it Rip!"_

She almost heard the gears click together as the rip-cord's teeth sank into the grates of the launcher, and watched her blade spin out into the air, hovering for a moment as though motionless in the air, before beginning its descent into the dish, inches away from Max's blade.

"Show time, Maxie, put on your game face," she challenged, narrowing her eyes in concentration as she willed her blade to spin around the outer rim of the dish, almost challenging Max. His blade spun in place, almost as though it was biding its time, and judging by her brother's expression, that was exactly what it was doing.

For the longest moment that was all that it performed, and she frowned. She knew Max's attack style. Always remain defensive. He was going to wait for her to make the first move and use up all of her energy before doing anything. A very safe, useful strategy, she thought almost with an inward nod. But not for her.

Her blood was pumping in her ears, rapid even though her breath was slowing and she felt her eyes droop, almost to the point of closing, though they remained half-lidded. The energy being given off of her blade seemed to be coming in waves and it was almost as though she could see a path from where her blade spun around the dish and where Max's remained a stationary, spinning form, almost solid in its appearance. Its rotation waves seemed to lean more to the one side, and she smirked when she saw it, her eyes opening again.

"Attack now!" she yelled. "Keep on that path!"

The black blade shot forward, towards the center of the dish where Max's blade spun, ready to take him out. In an instant, his blade had moved to the side where it had seemed to stray before, and with a burst of concentration she had her blade shift paths to follow suit, knocking Max's blade into the air despite his attempts to avoid her.

The audience's cheering seemed to collect a great gasp of breath as Max's blade flew upwards in the air, towards the rim of the dish. Just before it hit the floor, though, it managed to pull back and land, spinning, on the rim. For a moment it just hovered there, before swirling back into the center. She saw Max exhale in relief, and then grin at her, showing her two thumbs-up.

She felt the corners of her mouth tug upwards. She should have known that it would take a little more effort to get Max out of this game.

Several times the two blades repeated the dance from before, Max's blade seeming to safe itself always in the nick of time. Worn pieces of plastic where her blade had slammed against his littered the interior of the dish. The roar of the crowd and commentators thundered in her ears, the adrenaline rushing once again. A kind of electricity seemed to be sparking through her, igniting her limbs and feeding her mind more power as she willed the attack. Each one became stronger, wearing even more away from the opposing blade.

"Hey bro, you sure you're giving it your all? Because you're sure taking a beating. Hope you can hang in there!"

A confident look passed over Max's features. "Just watch me."

Despite his words, her blade was beating him back even further to the rim of the dish, and it was obvious that this was grating on him. A little longer and she'd be able to –

She felt a tremble up her spine and a sudden black and white image replaced her view of everything.

_She watched a sped up, rapid image of her blade attacking Max's at an inclined angle, hacking off a large part of his attack ring. His blade wobbled back almost to the point of collapse, but just before it could fall from the ring it made a deep, sweeping rotation that pulled it back into the dish._

As quickly as it had come upon her, the vision disappeared, almost into wisps of smoke. She frowned. What the hell had that been?

Her blade continued to attack Max's, repelled by his defensive style, and was thrown back, almost out of the dish on her side. She grinned. So, that was his big strategy? Repel her with an equal force that she used again him?

He wished.

"Go!"

Her blade rushed forward, and on its way she watched in fascination as an irregularity in the dish sent it into an almost bent angle. Couple with its speed and force, she could only stare as the vision from seconds ago came true, the jagged piece of the metal attack ring narrowly missing her brother's face as it was jettisoned out of the dish.

She gaped.

She had scene that happen. She had seen it happen, before it had even…

Max's wobbling blade recovered, as had been expected, but refrained from matching any more of her attacks. It was weakened now to a point that she would be able to send him reeling without even trying.

Max's face was awash in concentration as he willed his broken blade to keep spinning, to keep strong.

_The broken blade avoided her onslaught of rapid attacks, until the last one, which he met head-on, holding ground. Her blade was thrown backwards, ricocheting off of the smooth surface of the dish and flying into the air._

She gasped loudly at the vision, jumping slightly as her world returned to color again. She didn't…understand…what was going on?

Her eyes focused on her blade, uncomprehending as Max's blade carried out the movements that sent her unsuspecting beyblade into the air.

This time it had happened quicker. Whatever it was seemed to be getting stronger and closer to the moment.

Narrowing her eyes at the blade, she silently forced her blade to land safely in the bowl, narrowly missing the edge. She wasn't going to let this new development make her lose. She didn't know what game Zorn was playing, but it wasn't working.

"You hanging in there?" Max called from across the dish, and she instantly set the fake smile on her face and flashed him a victory sign, but couldn't find it in her the strength to speak.

The next time it happened, although she was ready for it, she wasn't ready for the sheer force of it. She felt as though she had been physically struck in the stomach with a heavy weight and doubled over, trying to catch her breath.

_The blade was attacking at a pace that she had never seen before. The force of it could be seen in the strange black light that surrounded it. It was on a collision course with the other blade, and before she knew it, it connected. A thunderous explosion and a flash of light made her look away. As the smoke cleared, she could make out the form of her brother. Max crouched before her, battered and hurt. Cuts from the debris of his shattered beyblade littered his face. Behind him, the stands that had held the spectators seemed to have disintegrated._

Everything rushed back to her all at once. A deep, cackling laughter echoed in her mind and she shook her head. Across from her, Max looked torn between continuing the fight and running over to see if she was alright. Before he could even ask, she shook her head vigorously. It would only make it worse if he got involved.

Her blade was crashing towards Max vigorously, but for some reason it didn't seem to be depending on her will anymore. As it pushed his blade closer and closer to the edge Chaya had a vague sense that this match had been taken out of her hands.

_'That's right, you ignorant human. And you know what happens next.'_

Just before her blade was about to knock Max out, it reared back, almost to the outer rim and spun lazily for a moment. She saw Max's face tense as though he could sense the attack they both knew was coming. His broken blade was still reeling.

She could sense the change in rotation speed before she could see it, and panic set in.

'No.'

Winning wasn't worth this, she decided grimly. No way would she go through this again. The way the battle was going, she would end up having another break-down, and she wouldn't put Max through that – nor would she beat him the way she had seen in her vision.

As the blade suddenly belted towards Max's, the strange black aura surrounding it like a force field, she focused as much as she could on pulling it back, and stopping it. A great tension and pressure seemed to build in her mind, and she could feel the sweat beaded on her forehead. The strain felt like she was holding back against something heavy, a burden that if was let go would cause greater pain than if it wasn't. Almost like a pulled muscle, only ten times as painful.

The blade, although proceeding slower than in her vision, was still too fast. Her pulse beat in her ears as she clenched her fists, ordering the blade to tip downwards, forcing as much as she could.

Painstakingly slowly it moved and she could hear the shrieks in her mind getting louder.

'A little more…come on…down!'

Max seemed to sense something as well, because he looked as though he was ready to receive an attack to himself. His stance was low and defensive, as though the blow of the two blades would send him reeling as well.

'Now!'

It was still too fast. Despite the forcible, shaking angle she had pushed it into, it would still hit Max with the explosive force. If only there was a way to –

Just as it was about to hit, she watched in amazement as Max's blade expertly avoided the flash of black, moving inches to the side. At the speed it was going at, the blade couldn't attack him completely on the rebound, and just as it was turning around, his blade flew in from behind and crashed into its side. The dangerous tilt in her blade overbalanced it, and to her relief, the blade clattered to its side, the axis still spinning uselessly in the air.

For a moment there was complete silence, and then the audience began to cheer loudly.

No one seemed to know what had just happened, except for Chaya.

Max had hurried over and was prodding her as though to see if she was alright.

"Chays, you okay? You looked a little weird in the match," he said, not even mentioning his win as the DJ announced it to everyone. "Like you were going to fall over."

"I'm fine," she smiled at him, part of it real for once. Max didn't need this… "Great job. You actually made me sweat…"

"Yeah…" she thought there was a doubtful note in his voice, but she ignored it.

"Well, I guess I'd better bow out. I have a feeling Dad's going to be freaking out over me again," she chatted, turning away and facing the crowds. She could see Takao and Kyoujiu waving her over to the stands, both looking surprised. She wasn't going to go see them. She could barely keep herself standing at the moment, she needed somewhere to sit. "Congrats Max."

"Chaya – "

"Congratulations, Tate-san," Jazzman said coming up to them. He walked past Max, probably to take his hand and Chaya used this time to make her exit.

There was no doubt that Max was going to come after or at least demand what was going on with her later on, but by then she would have thought up a convincing explanation and regained the feeling in her fingers and toes. And possibly the balance in everything else.

Gripping the banister tightly as she moved down the stairs into the underground corridors, she suddenly sensed another presence. Just as she reached the last step, she looked up.

Down the hall the stolid teen from the week before, Hiwatari Kai, stood, arms crossed, looking at her with a cold, almost pitying stare. She watched him for a moment, matching his gaze unwaveringly although it was the last thing in her mind at the moment. After a few seconds he merely turned around and walked away, without even saying anything.

As soon as she was sure there was no other person around, she stumbled into the washroom and almost collapsed onto the counters.

Everything was shaking and she felt like throwing up again, even though she knew she wasn't going to.

"What the hell was that?" she demanded.

_'A mere demonstration,'_ the hard-as-nails voice replied. _'Don't underestimate my strength. That was a mere taste of it. The next time you won't be able to suppress it that easily.'_

"There won't be a next time," she snarled darkly. "That's it. I'm done. I remember why I stopped this stupid game now."

_'Believe what you will_.'

Chaya clenched her fists. The spirit was right. Her strength was more than it had ever been. It was as though over all the years that Chaya had ignored her, the sacred spirit had bided her time and become more powerful. She wasn't sure what the thing would or could do to her…

'I'm in over my head this time,' she thought, looking at her tired, pale reflection in the mirror. 'And I can't get out alone…'

She needed help. Someone to talk to.

Her family was out of the question. Too close. She needed someone she could trust, but couldn't hurt. Someone that was far away as they were close…

Her eyes flashed. She knew exactly who she'd call.

(-)

The sound of the tone dialing inside the receiver was the only noise she could hear. On the fourth ring, someone picked up. A muffled voice answered. "Mm…hello?"

"Hey. It's me."

"Chaya?" the voice suddenly sounded more alert. "What's wrong? I saw – "

"Alan, something's happened. Something's wrong with me. I need you to do something for me…"

* * *

WELL, WHAT A BRAT SHE IS, HUH? CHAYA'S OUT, AND MAX STILL GOES! WE ALL KNOW THE OUTCOME OF THIS, BUT IT'S STILL FUN TO READ, INNIT? AND I DECIDED TO MAKE BOTH THE SERIES ACTUALLY KIND OF LINK TO EACH OTHER LIKE REAL LIFE DOES, SO I KEPT ALAN IN THIS - EVEN THOUGH HE DOESN'T DO MUCH UNTIL SECOND SEASON HE'S JUST A GOOD PHONE PERSON... 

REVIEW!

DAIYO!


	5. Chapter Four

**_The Underdog Syndrome_**

**Author**: KuriQuinn

**Title**: The Underdog Syndrome

**Fandom**: Beyblade

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Beyblade, but if I did I'd probably be rich and still reading fanfiction

**Pairing**: I'll never tell…

**Rating**: PG-13 for language

**Summary**: A teen with heavy emotional baggage is suddenly thrown back into the world of beyblading, only to be thrown a series of lives curveballs a day at a time.

**Takes Place:** Series

**Note**: Some of you don't know who Alan is. Okay, well, first off, he is a kid that Max knew before he turned Bladebreaker, from the same neighborhood that he and Chaya grew up in (you find this out in Season Two, Episode…uh…79. 'Hot Rock). Also, for those of you who say you've never met him – obviously, you didn't read the prologue grin

_

* * *

October 13, 2001 _

The week following her loss proved to be more than strenuous, filled with conflicting emotions for Chaya. After the call to Alan in the States all hell had broken loose around home. Her father and brother had come demanding of her what was wrong, then switched gears to a phony sympathy. Well, in her father's case anyhow. She knew perfectly well that he was relieved that she'd lost and now hoped that she was finished with it. Max seemed to be more genuine in his comforting, but she knew his heart wasn't in it.

She also knew Max could tell there was something wrong with her, but thankfully, he didn't say anything. During school hours he spent most of his time not only maintaining his grades, but being assaulted by countless admirers, all demanding that he show his skills with the blade. When he refused, their eyes would fall on her and she would hear the idiotic kids spewing all sorts of false kindness over her loss. Of course, she didn't bother telling them that she had been trying to lose. That would make her seem like a bad loser. At least, that was what Alan had suggested. And she agreed with him.

A few thought that now she was so weak that they could walk all over her, as two or three boys and a very smug looking Hiromi Tachibana attempted to do the Monday that she and Max returned back to school. Tachibana demanded that she direct her skills to cleaning up the classroom, considering it was obvious that she had no skills anywhere else, and the boys tried to 'persuade' her to do their homework and give them her lunch or else they'd mess her up real nicely with their blades.

It had taken two fist fights, a near bludgeoning with a chalk eraser and a letter home to her father to convince the other students that she was far from weak after her loss. But even though her place in the school seemed to be established, as the days coming up to the semi-finals of the match drew closer, she felt a growing sense of unease and another feeling that she had had since her loss: almost as though she had been given up on.

If that was Zorn, than she would be happy. Unfortunately, she knew how stubborn the spirit was…

Takao and Kyoujiu spent all of their spare time down in the basement with Max, training against each other for their upcoming matches. After two weeks of having known them, Chaya was not so close to them as Max was, but she did know them as well as he did. A part of her was still afraid to even try to make friends with anyone. Every morning she woke up waiting to hear from her father that they were moving again.

And it was a shame, really, she thought as she wrestled with her math homework the night before Max's match. They both seemed nice. Takao, despite his loud-mouthed, over-confident and often idiotic behavior, seemed to outwardly be what she would have been if Vancouver Island hadn't happened. And Kyoujiu, with his small stature and ever-present laptop, always talking in over-calculated and precise manners – well, she couldn't help but want to hug the guy really, especially after he mournfully told her how he'd trapped his bitbeast in his laptop during a thunderstorm.

Not that she would, of course, considering the kid was probably suffering from threats to his manhood already. He was the youngest boy in their grade, being ten years old to everyone else's thirteen, and there were rumors that he would be skipped forward again.

'He probably doesn't have problems with Pythagorean Theorem,' Chaya yawned, putting down her pen and glancing across the floor of their small living room, watching Max daydreaming, flicking his pen back and forth between two fingers, so that the blurred image of its movement looked like a bow-tie. His mind was obviously on the match. And it should be.

Her gaze hardened. He was up against that human ice cap, Hiwatari. And from what she sensed from him and had seen a hint of in his match with Kyoujiu, he might be the greatest challenge in the tournament. The competitive part of her berated her yet again for losing and not facing him, while the rational one beat it down and then proceeded to tie and gag it.

She sighed. Her mind scared her sometimes…

"Hey Max?"

"Hm?" her twin looked up at her, looking a little dazed as he was pulled from whatever daydream he had been having.

"Good luck against Hiwatari."

He beamed at her. "Thanks. I promise to do the best I can – for both of us."

He looked back to his homework, seeming to remember that it was there, and Chaya looked away again, a hardness settling in her. 'You're going to need it, bro. You're definitely going to need it…'

The next morning, her father dropped her and Max off at the stadium, and they split up almost immediately. Max, because he needed to discuss with Daitenji-san some of the dynamics of his match and Chaya…mostly, because she didn't feel like getting sympathy from Daitenji-san…

She spent the better part of the morning hanging around the stadium, avoiding anyone that looked as though they wanted to talk to her. Not that there where many people. It was only six in the morning; hardly anyone had even showed up. Once or twice she was caught by some friends from school that had come to see the match, but she managed to keep up the usual cutesy smile and cheerful act until they left.

The strange feeling seemed to grow even more as the match got closer and more people arrive. After a watching the same people run back and forth through the entrance way, she grew tired of loitering in the parking lot and entry way and headed up to the stands, where she could observe without being noticed. This would be a good thing in case her psycho bitbeast decided to have another forceful conversation with her. The less people thinking that she was talking to herself, the better.

"Minna-san, it's time to announce the standings," she heard the voices from the stadium become louder as she climbed the stairs and looked down from the top row, behind the slowly growing audience. The broadcasters' booth was to her left and she watched two over-weight men in their fifties, one chowing down on a sushi platter, the other speaking into the microphone, at the same time as sending a disgusted look at the other.

She laughed and shook her head, letting the voices fill the void around her. "But first, let's meet an awesome competitor, here by special invite. Minna-san, Kon Rei."

Her ears perked up, just as her competitive side destroyed its gag and then went about beating the crap out of her rational side. "Rei was flown in by tournament organizer Daitenji Sutanuri, so the kid must be something."

Definitely something. He was the reason she was out of the tournament, she thought vaguely, squinting down into the stadium where the blader was making his first appearance. She couldn't really study his profile from so high up, but she could hear everything that was being said about him. About how undefeated he was and how Takao was going to have his work cut out for him.

Speaking of Takao…she caught sight of the wild-haired teen and Kyoujiu hanging out by the railings of the arena, waving loudly at something before hurrying off towards it. Before he turned to corner she caught sight of a flash of blond hair and grinned. Max, it seemed, was out of his talk with Daitenji, so she could go hang about until the match started.

She watched the announcer that had been eating drop his sushi on the floor and then set about trying to save it.

She shuddered.

Hanging out with the boys sounded like a _much_ better idea…

(-)

She caught up with them just as they were walking out of one of the locker rooms. Max's arms were slung around both Takao and Kyoujiu, while her father walked behind them, grinning in a kind of reserved way. Takao was chatting lightly with her brother, who nodded at her in acknowledgment. "…so, if you win the pizza's on you, right?"

"What is it about you guys and pizza?" Kyoujiu demanded. "This is a contest of beyblade skills, not a contest of who can eat the most junk-food!"

Chaya sniggered as she fell into line with them. "What can I say, Kyoujiu-san, us growing kids need out junk-food."

"Hey." Takao held back suddenly, making the others stop walking, looking off into the distance. Chaya cocked her head to one side, catching sight of another locker-room door opening up. A moment later, a cool and calm looking Kai Hiwatari walked out, barely even acknowledging that they existed. In his hands he held a tool box that Chaya recognized as a beyblade repair kit from the tons lying around the shop at home.

There was a lingering, uncomfortable silence in the hallway, which even Chaya couldn't interrupt for some reason. And then, Max broke away from his companions, arms out and approached the older teen. Hiwatari seemed to recoil, a sneer building on his face and Max lowered his arms, choosing instead to hold out his hand. "How's it going, huh? I just wanted to wish you luck, and all."

The stolid teen looked at the hand as though it offended him, and then back at its owner. Without so much as nodding his head to return the words, he turned and walked towards the stadium entrance. "Excuse me, but I have a match to win."

As her brother looked after him in confusion, Chaya felt a stab of annoyance prickle within her. Nobody snubbed her brother, except her, even if she didn't do it very often. She didn't care that she was out of the tournament, he was asking for it!

"Uhm…okay," Max sounded a little doubtful, his hand still outstretched in the position it had been in when he offered it to Kai.

Takao scoffed under his breath. "He ain't so tough."

"I heard that." They all jumped when the ice-cold, hard voice answered from where he was disappearing up the stairs, not bothering to turn around. As if none of them were people that he should bother looking at.

"Can I hit him? Please, just once, Maxie? I promise I'll leave you some for the match," she turned her brother, eyes pleading.

"No way. Then when I win I wouldn't feel like I earned it honestly," he looked thoroughly scandalized at the idea, whereas Takao had just begun to laugh.

"You? Take him on? Yeah, right. The kids at school, sure, I give you credit for that. But he's like half a foot taller than you!"

"Two inches! I'm not _that_ short!"

"Coulda fooled me…"

"_Omae o koruso_!"

"Yeah? You and what army!"

"Don't need one to take down an idiot like you!"

"Wanna say that again!"

"Anytime!"

It took a while for Max and Kyoujiu to pry her and Takao away from each other, especially considering their bickering had escalated into a tense game of 'poke you, poke me'. She had half expected her father to intervene and tell her to stop acting like an immature child, but when he only sighed and said something about going to get good seats, she figured he had finally given up.

"This is stupid, I'm going to sit with your dad. He's more intelligent than you anyway," Takao stuck his tongue out childishly. Just as childishly, Chaya reached forward and pinched the muscle between her fingers, ignoring the drool that began to run down Takao's chin as he yelled and grunted in pain.

"Chaya…" Max's voice was of frustrated resignation, so with a final smirk at Takao she let go of his tongue and then wiped her hand on his vibrantly-red t-shirt. That would teach him never to leave her an opening…

"Why you…!"

She saw Takao's wild blow and ducked just in time, making a face at him and then running off, laughing madly. She listened to his frustrated calls and insults after her and sniggered. She hadn't been able to get a rise out of someone that easily since her childhood nemesis Claire Marchand way back when…it was fun. Of course, she didn't mean most of what she said to Takao…just the part about him being an idiot. She didn't want to admit it, but the barriers she had thought were there seemed to be crumbling. She'd become quite used to his brash, loudmouthed way.

'Friend against my will, huh?" she thought as she slowed down, no longer able to hear the scuffles as Takao fought against her brother and Kyoujiu. It wasn't that she actually believed he'd attack her – hell, he'd probably lose interest as soon as the match started – but it was all in the spirit of the game to keep running, so who was she to stop him?

It was after she turned the corner that she began to really take note of the strange creeping feeling around her. With a frown as she walked through the gray granite halls, she tried to discern its origin.

'Okay, someone has been following me and staring my way for five minutes,' she finally managed as she pretended to examine a huge poster depicting the BBA Summer Challenges. There was a picture of Hiwatari on it. She was surprised. She'd never have figured him as a publicity type…The presence seemed to double. 'You know, you'd think they could at least blink.' Still no sign of the mystery watcher stopping. She tried to ignore it, but after a few more moments found that she couldn't take it anymore. "Okay, whoever's been staring at me will soon be wishing they had no eyes to sta – "

Unfortunately for Chaya, balance was not one of her strong points. As she whirled around to face down the presence that had been following her, she tripped over her own feet and went sailing into the ground for the second time. Only this time, instead of meeting the hard floor and becoming rather well acquainted, a hand reached out to steady her, holding her by the shoulder to bring her into a standing position.

"Careful," the voice was low and smooth, a hint of concern in it, which she brushed off seconds later when she remembered that this was the person that had been following around. She wrenched herself away.

"Hey, what is the big idea, stalking me, you…humongous jer…er…k."

Her words seemed to dry up in her throat as she looked at her semi-savior, semi-stalker.

The boy was older than her, with tanned skin and deep amber eyes, a look of laid-back amusement on his face, which had arranged itself into concern. He was Chinese, which was more than obvious both from his physical features and from the choice of his clothing. A traditional Chinese robe, cut in a Mandarin style neckline that swept down almost to the floor was worn on top of a pair of pants that didn't reach his ankles, and he wore black Chinese style slippers. A red-bandana, adorned with a yin-yang, held his long bangs out of his face while the rest of his long hair was braided down his back, sweeping behind him almost like the tail of a lion. She wasn't sure, but maybe if he held still long enough his hair _would_ reach the ground.

She couldn't help it. When it swung forward again, she grasped the braid in her hand and just stared. It was real. He actually had hair that would probably reach the floor if he undid it. "Damn your hair's long. You know, if you tried, you could choke someone with this."

She looked up, meeting his slightly confused and taken-aback look with a slight grin. He cleared his throat. "Uh…thanks. I think – can I have my hair back?"

His accent was flawless, although not the refined school-taught Japanese. She decided he must have learned most of it in the streets as opposed to in a classroom.

"Depends. You going to tell me why you've been stalking me for the past ten minutes?"

"Actually…" a sheepish look crossed his features and the amber-eyes that had been watching her narrowed into embarrassed slits, a grin gracing his features. She watched in awe that as the grin grew into a sheepish smile, his teeth were fully visible. His canines were slightly sharper than the average person. Almost fang-like, really. He was still talking. She snapped herself out of whatever stupor she had been in and focused on the matter at hand. "…looked like you knew where you were going and I got lost. Usually I can find my way around places, but this isn't one of them."

"Well I guess you're in luck – course you could have just asked, it would have saved me from that near loving encounter with the concrete floor," she smiled, letting his hair drop back to swing behind him. He sent her a confused smile and she raised an eyebrow, her smile fading somewhat. "That was a joke. You know what a joke is, right? People who have a sense of humor make them?"

This time he laughed. "And people who are sarcastic explain them, right?"

"Damn straight."

They regarded each other for a moment before he held out his hand. "I'm Kon Rei."

She opened her mouth to tell him her name and was about to take his hand when she stopped dead in her tracks. "Kon Rei? The beyblader that Daitenji-san invited here personally?" The guy that knocked me out of the running…

"Uh, yeah," although he looked a little sheepish at her mentioning it, she could tell it pleased him that she knew who he was. He still had his hand outstretched towards her. "And you are…?"

"Oh," she held accepted his hand, her cheeks coloring slightly as she realized why he still had his extended. "Tate. Chaya Tate. Like _James Bond_ but a girl and so much cooler."

"Tate?" Kon frowned in concentration. "That sounds familiar." He looked her over again, and a look almost of recognition appeared on his face. "Wait a minute, you're that – "

"Quarter finalist that you knocked out?" she smirked. "Yeah, that me. Because of you it's my brother who's the semi-finalist going up against Hiwatari-san, not me."

"That's cool," Kon was still smiling, although now he was doing so apologetically. "I'm sorry for getting you knocked out. I tried to get Daitenji-san to let me blade in the qualifying tournament but he insisted we do it his way."

She shrugged. "It's no problem. I don't mind. It's a lot less hassle for me anyway. Now I can sit around eating junk food all day and root for Max and Takao."

"Takao?" his expression changed from amusement to polite interest.

"Kinomiya-san," Chaya corrected, watching Kon's expression. "He's a friend of mine. You're going up against him tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah," the Chinese teenager turned away slightly, looking a little detached. "I hate to disappoint you, but he's not going to get very far in the game."

"Well, no one will know that until the match," she replied brazenly, drawing his gaze back on her as she smirked at him. "Takao's stronger than he looks." She paused. "Unfortunately, he's as annoying as he looks."

There was a pause and Kon blinked, before all of a sudden laughing.

Confused, Chaya tilted her head to one side. "What?"

"You're funny," he said simply after recovering. "Usually the people I talk to treat me either like some celebrity or something. Or people like Daitenji-san treat me like I'm some sort of imported kid that they have to be extra careful around."

"Yeah, well, I'm the last person you'd get that from. I don't kiss up people or treat the like they'll break because personally, they tick me off," she explained. "Don't get me wrong, I don't hate people, I just think they're all idiots. But thinking they're idiots doesn't mean I can't talk to them normally."

"So, you think I'm an idiot?" he raised an eyebrow, but instead of looking insulted or offended, he looked more amused than anything.

Chaya crossed her arms and allowed her cocky, self-confident smirk to take over her features. "Well, considering I just met you, Kon-san, I doubt I could tell you."

He shook his head, a large smile gracing his features. "You're not what I would have pictured."

"Let me guess, the blond hair put you off?" she shook her hair back over her shoulders and put her hands on her hips. "It's the stereotype that leaves most of my class at school dumb-founded after I've beaten their pants off in the stadium. That and the whole 'you're a girl _and_ you like to beyblade! What planet are you from!'" She rolled her eyes. "It kind of gets annoying."

He laughed again.

"Anyway, I've gotta jet," she continued. "That _is_ my brother up there so under obligation I've gotta watch him. The exits over there –" she pointed to the left of them, down a corridor that led to the stairs. "- maybe I'll see you around."

"Maybe," the Chinese boy nodded.

"Good luck in the match tomorrow, Kon-san," she inclined her head downward, and when she looked up she noticed the slight frown on his face. There was a pink tinge on his face.

"Actually, it's just Rei," he corrected her. "Only Daitenji-san calls me anything else, so I'm not used to the politeness thing."

"Alright 'just-Rei'," she grinned. "I'm 'just Chaya' then, okay?" There was a rumbling from the crowds above and the steady hum of the announcer's voice that was signifying the beginning of the match. "Right – ja ne!"

And with that she took off in the direction she had pointed him in, leaving him alone in the underground. The little voice at the back of her head nagged at her for nearly missing her brother's big match. She was especially annoyed with herself when she reached the fronts of the bleachers and discovered all the seats had been taking. Takao and Kyoujiu hadn't even bothered to save one for her!

'Those jerks are going to die later,' she promised vindictively as she sought out a place to sit as the DJ began to introduce the dish that would be used in the match. She paused for a moment in her search to study the dish that protruded from the metallic door in the floor. At first it looked similar to the traditional bowl-type dish, but then she noticed that in the middle there was a lone tower erected in the middle with a smaller dish set in its middle. She nodded to herself as she listened to the DJ explain that the idea was to land the blade in the tower dish and keep it there for ten seconds, which would be counted by a large digital clock located around the smaller dish.

"This will be a best of three match, winner-take-on!"

Not bothering to look for a spot to sit, she plunked down onto the cold stairs, her eyes riveted on the two competitors as they got ready to face off. Her brother had a dimpled, determined look on his face as he searched out his beyblade launcher. Even from the distance she could tell that his face was flushed with the tension and his whole body was rigid. _'_Relax, Maxie, you won't get any good moves in if your mind's not calm…'

Her eyes fell upon Hiwatari, who looked more bored than anything else. His entire being radiated ease and she made a face. This wasn't going to be easy for Max. Not just because Hiwatari was a top-notch blader, but because the tower-type dish was a trick-dish that was only usually used in national championships. It wasn't just willpower that was needed to beat the dish, but knowledge of some blade dynamics as well. And if Max was anything like her, he couldn't think of spin speed and slope while trying to win a match.

The insisted beat in her mind, almost like the thunderous slap of batting wing against the edges of her consciousness began to brew and she narrowed her eyes in concentration. She had no intention of missing this match, if she had to take her fingers and pry open her eyes, she wasn't going to let that stupid bitbeast control her anymore than she already did.

_"Ichi, ni, san, shi! Let it rip!"_

She watched with bated breath, concentrating on keeping alert both to the match and to the conscious state of things, trying to keep from screaming in despair when Hiwatari's blade easily knocked her brother's into the dust, leaving Max knelt on the ground in defeat to the first round. Before she could even think of yelling for him to get up he was on his feet, a cheerful grin on his face, determination shining out at anyone.

She breathed a sigh of relief, loosening her fists. She hadn't even known that she'd been clenching them. She cupped her hands around her mouth, ignoring the throb of her palms. "Come on Max, you can beat him! You promised you'd do your best, so keep that promise!"

She didn't think it possible for anyone to hear her in this mad thrash of people, but she was sure that Max's head inclined in her direction for a moment. Just a moment…

They were getting ready to launch again. Max was chatting cheerfully with Hiwatari, who didn't reply but steeled himself at the ready for the next match. He intended to win, that was obvious. Chaya silently willed Max to find the power in him. 'You can do it, you big lug. Just think of him as any other blader. Forget everything else, or – "

She stopped suddenly. Her vision clouded over and all she could see was black for a moment before the color left the world around her.

_Dark shadows before her in the strange grey world. She could hear the cheers and the gasps and the awed shouts. Two figures stood in the distance, shrouded in the swirling grey. In a split second there was an explosion and an enormous flame emerged for a fraction of a second and soared through the colorless at the other. She felt herself scream and try to shield her eyes, all hope ebbing away…the violet glow was small at first before it burst forth like it had been set off by some kind of detonation. The two bursts of color collided and the duel in the shadows began. _

_The purple flame grew as large as the scarlet one and steeled itself against the splintering blows, sending it sprawling backwards. A feeling of happiness was bubbling deep within her, much to her confusion. It was…winning?_

_'Don't be so sure of that, child,' the constant presence hissed and there was a shape near her, within her, around her…it was darker than all of the shadows together… 'Only the truly powerful one…'_

With those words she felt herself suddenly vaulted out of whatever strange vision had captured her, hitting the small of her back against the hard edge of the stadium stairs. The pain made her wince and curse loudly, although no one heard her. Even the eyes of the kids sitting in the seats right next to her were riveted on the dish far below them. She shook her head in bewilderment before looking down as well, her jaw dropping in realization.

Hiwatari's blade lay smoking and stationary on the ground, while Max's continued to spin. Her brother's face was euphoric as he punched the air in victory. Chaya didn't know what had just happened and hurriedly leaned over to her side and poked on of the people in the seat. "What just happened?"

The boy looked at her, unimpressed, as though her asking was some sort of sin. "In case you didn't notice, he pulled a reverse launch to speed up his rotation and all-over power."

"So?" she didn't understand why that had left Hiwatari's blade smoking on the ground.

"So," the kid rolled his eyes. "When Hiwatari attacked him, the American's blade was able to absorb all of the energy and use it to counter-attack." The kid turned away, muttering to his seatmate. "Honestly, these wannabe-bladers think they can just watch a match and understand it…"

Chaya didn't even bother to go after the snot-nosed kid. So, Max had figured out a way to pull a win out of a no-win situation? Not that she was surprised, considering they were related…but still, something was bugging her. She knew that Hiwatari had a bitbeast. She had checked up all of the statistics on him the night before, after everyone had gone to bed. It wasn't possible that Max could beat such a powerful bitbeast with only his will power. Sacred spirits added exponentially increased power to the will – and Hiwatari looked like he had an iron will…

There was another sharp, cold shiver up her spine and she heard a thundering crack.

Obviously she was the only one that heard it, because when she went to cover her ears she noticed that she was the only one that did so.

The sound reverberating in her ears, she searched for the source of the noise it seemed only she could hear. They locked on the dish almost immediately and her heart sank.

Max's blade had just been spinning moments before, but now lay in a heap on the floor, Max doubled over where it had hit him in its expulsion from the dish. There was a close up of the blade on the big screen over the stadium, showing the shattered bit-clip piece and cracked attack ring.

She watched Max gather it up and hold it in his hand, a regretful air overtaking him.

She was angry. Max had given it his all, and now because of a shoddy beyblade he was going to have to throw in the towel? It wasn't as if he had any replacement parts, so there was no way he could continue. She watched the DJ say something to Max, and her brother shook his head, still looking down at the beyblade. Even though the camera was on him, his eyes were shielded by his long bangs as he fiddled with the blade.

Suddenly he cried out, throwing his head up and grinning, so that his merry smile was grinning down at everyone from the camera. At the same time Chaya felt a ripple run through her entire body, almost like a sheen of energy had passed through her. It was different from when Zorn's power snuck up on her, warning her of another attack. This strange thrill felt almost…almost welcoming?

Her hands shook as she looked down at the two boys, noticing vaguely that Hiwatari seemed tense all of a sudden, not his collected self. He was glancing at his blade curiously, but stopped the minute the DJ called for the third match.

This time, even Chaya was at the edge of her seat. The strange ripples of energy, as well as the importance of the match were weighing on her. The feeling of something arriving imminently was making her edgy, although she was sure most of the edginess was coming from Zorn.

'What's going on, you psycho-spirit?' she wondered vaguely, eyes on the match as her brother and Hiwatari launched their blades, showering the bottom of the dish with sparks.

Both blades climbed the tower easily, battling each other the minute they hit the smooth base. Even from above she could see the static power that radiated between the two as they fought for dominance of the small dish space. The machine made a loud noise that echoed over the stadium, signifying the ten-second mark. Both blades had been in the dish for over ten seconds. The first one gone…

Pride for her brother swelled within her as she, along with the rest of the crowd and the competitors themselves, watched the match eagerly. There was another charged hit and both blades were tossed from the dish at the same time. They had barely hit the larger dish but they were attacking each other again. Each time they hit, sparks and electricity flew.

She couldn't help but glance at Hiwatari, wondering how the proclaimed 'champ' was taking this. 'I bet the jerk's never had a descent match in his life. Well, he's gonna get his money's worth with Maxie, that's for sure!'

Almost as though her thoughts jinxed it, the blade zeroed in for an attack, looking like it was trying to mimic a bullet as it shot towards Max's on a collision course. There was another trembling shock.

To her surprise, the blade held on.

The incessant feeling was growing more pronounced, and it was almost as though her head was spinning from lack of air. She could feel growing warmth from somewhere, although it wasn't real warmth. It was like she could feel something…like the feel of paper against bare skin. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and the sickeningly painful prickle assaulted her bare arms and legs.

There was a final rumble and then it happened.

The stadium was bathed in a magenta light that shot into the air, before the light took form. Chaya was among the spectators that leaned forward in awe to catch a glimpse of this strange creature. A dark turtle bathed in light emerged, the muscles of its limbs tense as it reared its head back and gave a mighty roar that shook the floors of the stadium. There were markings on its face and shell, the eyes round and endless black as it faced Hiwatari, who didn't look any worse for the wear under its quelling gaze.

'A bitbeast,' she thought to herself, feeling a frown etching into her features. 'But how?'

The newly powered bitbeast braced itself, causing Hiwatari's blade to slide up the wall of the dish and teeter dangerously in the air, as though about to fall. There was a change in the cheers from the crows, expecting Hiwatari's blade to fall to the inner dish, but when it didn't, the noise receded. Instead, the blade spun seemingly out of control towards the ceiling.

She could feel confusion from the other spectators at what was happening, but her thoughts were on the bitbeast that was currently being drawn on by her brother. It didn't make sense that he had one, and on such short notice. And also…the feeling that the spirit had already bonded with him…

Wait? What was she talking about? Bonding? Bitbeasts?

She shook her head furiously.

Things were getting bad if she didn't even know what the hell she was talking about. Maybe she was going crazy.

"Look at that!" someone yelled, making her stare up into the ceiling of the auditorium. Spinning in mid-air, a notorious red glow had begun to emanate from the airborne blade. With another explosion of sound the sky was suddenly filled by the presence of a magnificent creature. The red-gold feathers were surrounded by flaming fire and the eyes gleamed determinedly as it stretched its wings. With a threatening shriek, the fire phoenix pulled into a dive towards the ground with no intention of pulling up again.

"Max…" she barely noticed the whisper escape her lips.

It took one direct hit, but everyone saw the blade, sacred spirit and all, flying out of the dish and smacking into the concrete. The violet aura of the sacred spirit dissipated, leaving Max open-mouthed, staring at his defeated blade.

Chaya waited for the retribution to be passed. Max had lost the match, and his first one with a bitbeast. The creature wasn't going to let him go that easily. If he couldn't wield the power of a bitbeast, then he wasn't deserving of –

Her entire thought process stopped as in one movement, Max bent down and picked up his blade, held it for a few moments and then put it in his pocket.

No seizures, no painfilled cries, no outward appearance of weakness.

'How is that possible?' she thought furiously. 'Nothing happened?'

(-)

It had taken her longer than she had wanted to get down from the stands were crowds of spectators readied themselves to leave. She had practically had to slide down the banisters and hop over the stands just to get near one of the exits, and even than the hallways had been packed with fans.

Questions flooded through her, but she tried not to think about them as she slipped down an abandoned hallway towards the east exits where she had watched Max and Hiwatari go into. The cheering of the crowds grew more silent the deeper she went and she was soon rewarded with hearing two familiar voices.

"…that was the best battle ever!"

Hiwatari's voice was suspicious when he replied, "What's your game?"

"No, I'm serious!" her brother cried, obviouisly awestricken. "You were awesome out there. That dive was way-cool. I thought I'd come congratulate you, Hiwatari-san."

There was a pause from the other boy and Chaya chose this moment to appear around the corner, looking between the two of them in bewilderment. Her brother was smiling expectantly at the older boy, who looked as though he was not used to being spoken to after a match. Privately, Chaya was sure there was a reason for that. "Well thanks…I guess."

"Hey, I mean it!" Max grinned.

"I've got to say it was a pretty spectacular match," Chaya spoke up, coming over carefully. Her eyes were on Hiwatari for a long moment, before landing on Max. "But…where did you get that bitbeast?"

"Oh, Draciel? You remember Gamma Yoshi's old pendant, right?" her brother explained. "Well Dad said she'd given it to me because she figured I needed all the god luck I could find. But it broke and I ended up finding this bit clip. So I went with instinct and – "

"But when you lost, nothing happened," she prompted. "Like, it didn't speak to you?"

"Uh…no."

Now she was extremely confused. How could Max be having such an easy time of it with a bitbeast that he had never before seen in his life? "That's so strange,"

"Oh come on, Chays, are you going to tell me that bitbeasts can talk?" Max looked as though he was moments away from making fun of her and Chaya felt her cheeks heat up. "That's stupid."

"Well mine can! Does that mean I'm stupid?"

Both twins had forgotten the presence of Hiwatari, neither noticing the interested glint that appeared in his eyes for a moment.

"No! I just – wait – uh, your bitbeast…?" Max peered at Chaya suspiciously. "You didn't tell me that you were still using a bitbeast! And one that talks to you? Chaya – "

"Look, forget it, that's why I didn't tell you," she mumbled. "I knew you'd over react."

"Chaya, how could you not – "

Her brother was cut off with a grunt as someone jumped him from behind, grabbing him around the neck and laughed. "That was so wicked, Max! Everyone thought you were going to go out fast, but you didn't give in without a fight! Can I see your bitbeast? You nearly flattened Kai! Too cool!" Max struggled to say something, but Takao had already seized his hand and was holding it up, waiving it in the air. "I hereby declare you the champion!"

"Uh, Takao, look, this isn't a very good – "

"Come on, I'll buy you a pizza, forget all the bets…"

"Takao…!"

She watched the hyperactive Japanese boy haul her brother down the hall, followed by an apologetic looking Kyoujiu.

When they were gone, she let out long sigh and reached up, massaging the bridge of her nose. She could feel an oncoming headache. Now that most of the truth was out, her brother wasn't going to leave her alone. And if he told her father she was in even more trouble.

The prickling sensation of being watched was upon her again and she whirled around, glaring at the presence.

"What?" she demanded of Hiwatari, who shrugged. For a moment he just watched her appraisingly, before turning around and leaving her all alone in theconcret hallway, listening to the thundering steps of the spectators above.

'_Be wary of him_.'

She jumped at the voice, rubbing her arms as though a sudden chill had taken over the area. 'No need to tell me twice, you psycho, he gives me the creeps,'

* * *

TBC 


	6. Chapter Five

**_The Underdog Syndrome_**

**Author**: KuriQuinn

**Title**: The Underdog Syndrome

**Fandom**: Beyblade

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Beyblade, but if I did I'd probably be rich and still reading fanfiction. It was created by Aoki Takao.

**Pairing**: I'll never tell…

**Rating**: PG-13 for language

**Summary**: A teen with heavy emotional baggage is suddenly thrown back into the world of beyblading, only to be thrown a series of lives curveballs a day at a time.

**Takes Place:** Series

_

* * *

October 14, 2001 _

"What do you mean, you have no idea?" she demanded into the phone, sneaking glances at the stadium entrance worriedly, hoping her father or brother weren't going to decide to show up outside. Although she greatly doubted they would be anywhere away from Takao on the day of his battle, you could never be too careful with her family. They were everywhere. Especially now that Max had lost and was doomed to wander the never-ending underground just like she was… "You're supposed to be finding these things out because I can't!"

"Chill out, Chaya," the patient yet slightly irked voice on the other end of the phone grumbled. She gripped the receiver tightly, trying to ignore the slippery feeling of the plastic of the public phone. "You know I'm trying as hard as I can, but my parents have begun to notice I'm spending all this time at the library. Yeah, they're happy about it, but they want to know what caused the monumental change. And telling them I'm looking up sacred spirits and myths and stuff is not something you tell my parents – they'll think I'm getting ideas about worshipping Satan or something..."

She sighed, a wistful smile appearing on her face. "Okay…I'm sorry, Alan, it's just…I'm stressed here. Ever since Max decided up to up and snatch a bitbeast I've been a little frantic." She sighed loudly. "It just makes no sense!"

"If anyone can figure it out, it's you," her friend back in the United States told her cheerfully. "Besides, you've got me on your team." They observed a small silence, before Alan continued. "Anyway, I got some books that should help you out and I've already sent them. There's a list in the package with the titles and authors of some of the books I couldn't find in the bookshops around here but were in the library. I dunno if they have the same ones in Japan, but hey, should give you the right idea."

She leaned back against the glass of the phone booth. "Hey Alan? Thanks…I owe you one."

"Actually, no," she could hear his voice grinning on the other end. "You owe me twelve: I expect six hamburgers, five drinks and a large fry on the side from you the next time I see you."

"Right, now you're pushing it." She watched as a family of four hurried into the entrance way, the little kids trying to get their parents to hurry. They obviously didn't want to be late for the match. Glancing at her watch, she decided that she didn't want to either. It would begin in fifteen minutes and if she didn't wrap up this phone call soon she'd miss the beginning. "Hey, I've got to go. Takao's about to face of against Rei."

"Oh, well, wish them good luck for me," Alan told her, even though they both knew she would probably forget to by the time she got inside. "And remember, Chays; before you can find out what Zorn is you need to know exactly what bitbeasts themselves are. Even if you see something relating to her, just mark it and move on. You can't afford to get side-tracked."

"I…I know," she mumbled, almost lamely. "But I'd better figure it out fast or…well, I don't know the 'or' part but thirteen years of movie watching tells me that anything with an 'or' is a bad thing."

Alan laughed at her good-naturedly. She could hear someone in the background, probably his mother telling him to get off the phone.

"I'll let you go then," she told him. "It's about nine o'clock over there, right? I'm guessing the puritans are freaking out because you're still on the phone?"

Alan groaned. "Ugh, don't go there. I'll talk to you later, okay? Say hi to Max."

"You got it Alan. Miss you."

"You too."

"Sayonara."

There was a click on the other end and she paused a moment before hanging up her receiver as well, grabbing her phone card. Studying the Minato-district logo for a moment, she then stuck it into her pocket and pushed open the glass door of the telephone booth. The people were already crowding into her seats when she reached the entrance way and glancing around, she discovered that yet again, Max and her father had failed to save her a seat.

"What the hell is wrong with them?" she mumbled. "I bet if it was one of their guy friends, they'd have the whole damn row saved. Stupid sexism…" She noticed the confused stare from one of the people she passed and made a face at the teenager. "What? _What_? What are you looking at!"

"_Wakarimasen__…" _the poor boy mumbled. "A_nata__ wa nihongo go wo hanasemasuka."_

"Oh…" she blinked, realizing she had been going on and on in English. "Uh…_hai__…sumimasen_."

Without another word, she hurried off, ignoring the complaint of the kid about how stupid Americans were, climbing the stairs in search of a seat. The stands were filled from what she could see and there was no way she could just go to the people sitting next to her friends and family and demand that they get up.

Well, there was, but she'd already terrified at least one member of the Japanese population that day, and didn't need to do it again in a hurry. Even though sometimes they annoyed her…

She had seen Daitenji-san and Rei earlier before she had ditched her family and had wished the Chinese teenager good luck in the up-coming match. After Rei left to prepare, Daitenji-san had commented that she was dealing with her loss much better than he ever remembered her having done. He had given her a strange look before going to choose his seats and Chaya had slipped away from her family, intent on getting to the pay-phone outside the stadium. She had been trying to safely contact Alan in secret since Max's loss yesterday but had been constantly in the presence of someone who might ask questions.

Questions she was trying to answer herself.

There was a loud cheer that broke over the crowd and she glanced down into the arena, watching as Takao and Rei approached each other warily. The match would begin in moments and she had yet to find a seat – damned if she were sitting on the concrete again!

Looking left and right as she climbed the stairs to the top, she squinted above the heads of the other spectators. It took her a few moments but she finally caught sight of a single space that was open about three rows up to her left. She made to go towards it, but then noticed who was in the seat directly next to it.

Kai Hiwatari sat alone by the edge of the seats, his arms crossed and his eyes seemingly closed as he listened to the voices of the announcers. She noticed that his jaw was clenched and there was a frown of concentration. Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and he barely even looked up to acknowledge the person. It was a young girl who was looking shyly at him and pointing to the seat.

Chaya gaped when she saw the deadly look that Hiwatari shot the girl, who paled and turned face, running up the stairs as fast as she could.

Hiwatari calmly went back to his crossed-armed stance, although he still looked ready to spring another glare as soon as he was approached again.

Chaya shuddered and looked around, hoping against hope that there was even one seat available.

A quick scope of the area told her that it was not going to happen. Unless she wanted to sit on the concrete again, she would have to brave sitting next to the walking ice-cap that was that tournament champion.

"Hm, cold or colder?" she thought out loud, eying both warily. She watched as one of the younger kids spilled a river of coke down the stairs and cleared her throat. "Right…colder it is."

As she slunk towards the seat, she nervously let her eyes flick back and forth to the stadium. Far below it looked as though Takao was yelling at Rei about something, and when she glanced at the big screen above everything she saw Rei openly yawn, as though bored with Takao. She would have laughed if it weren't her friend that he was yawning at.

Slipping through the row of people, reluctant to obscure anyone's even though the people behind her craned their necks to see around, and trying not step on anyone's toes, Chaya made her way to the free seat and sat down, not bothering to ask Hiwatari if it was saved or not. He flinched slightly, but didn't bother looking at her.

'Phew,' she thought as she got ready to watch the match. Beside her, Hiwatari didn't acknowledge her and she bit her lips. She wasn't used to being acquainted with someone and not bothering to greet them. It had nothing to do with etiquette or anything like that; she had just been taught that when you see someone you know, you say something. And although Hiwatari didn't look like the type to care about common courtesy, he was still someone she had seen around and spoken to on two occasions.

Fidgeting, she looked from the match where the two boys were getting into their positions, and then chanced a glance at the stoic teenager. "Rei's got some serious attitude, huh?"

Bang.

There it was.

One-hundred-watt-glare-of-doom being sent her way, his eyes narrowing as though to tell her to buzz off. She felt goose bumps creep up her skin and remembered the girl from earlier who had run as fast as she could away from Hiwatari. Not a bad idea, she thought, actually contemplating moving. Before she did, though, her rational side reminded her that she had never run from anything in her life and she shouldn't start now, even if this particular person looked as though he could strip paint with a look.

Swallowing and deciding to try playing brave, she manufactured a grin. "So, how's it going, sunshine?"

He turned away from her as though on the pretence of ignoring her, and she was about to cheer in victory at having conquered the glare, when he looked back again, the look twice as stronger than before. His voice was so low that when he spoke she jumped. "What do you want?"

Shaking a little, she widened the fake grin. "Well, you see, there was a seat here and it was free and I decided that considering you keep scaring everyone away when they come near you that you must be reeeeeally lonely so here I am; expert in making loneliness go away."

Damn it, now she was babbling, about what even she didn't know, and from what she could see, her babbling was angering him further.

His eyes absolutely blazed at her and he opened his mouth, saying in a calm and controlled tone that didn't match his eyes, "I don't get lonely."

She blinked, watching him look down at the match. For a moment she lost herself in watching Takao and Rei pull back their ripcords, letting their blades fly directly into each other in the dish. Takao's blade spun about the blade, showing off a little while Rei's blade remained in a fixed position in the dish. Takao called out something and was about to attack, before it suddenly faded from view.

"You're not gone yet?"

She jerked slightly, having forgotten that Hiwatari was still next to her and sending her a look of warning and dislike. Ire poked through her uneasiness and she sent him one of her own glares. "Hey, buddy, the last time I checked, this is a free arena and I can sit where I damn well please. So get off your high horse and stop treating me like some lower life-form."

He studied her for a moment before looking toward the match once again, as though deciding she wasn't worth his time. Inwardly cheering once again, she sat forward, her elbows on her knees and chin in hands, watching as Takao's blade nearly tossed but Rei landed on the rim, spinning down into the dish with a practiced ease. The Chinese boy's blade began to pursue Takao's blade with speed that was even more than Takao's. In seconds it had caught up and surpassed him, cutting him off and attacking with a brutal hit.

Chaya thought she saw some kind of movement, almost like a slash near the blade, and Takao's blade was suddenly careening out of the dish and onto the ground, shattering into pieces. She blinked and let her mouth drop as she replayed what she had just seen.

Rei was an amazing blader, which much she had known, but he also thought strategically and used Takao's own moves to his own advantage. Earlier on Takao had increased his maximum rotation speed to a point where the blade spun so quickly that it became invisible. But while he did it to go on the defensive, Rei had gone offensive and summoned his most powerful attack, it seemed, to knock out Takao and disable him right away.

In the stadium Rei turned away to leave, convinced that the damage done to his opponent was sufficient enough to keep him out of the rest of the match. Chaya shook her head. "That guy's rough. Smooth blader…but he plays rough."

The announcer began to explain the situation to the audience, telling them that unless Takao could find some spare parts to fix his beyblade he was going to be forced to forfeit the match.

Looking at him, it seemed Takao didn't have anything, and from what she could see of her father and Max, neither did they. Where the hell was Kyoujiu when you needed him?

She scanned the dugout entrances, hoping to find sight of him, but there were only a few security guards hanging around. Mumbling a curse under her breath she continued to search fruitlessly, even seeing Daitenji-san in his private box across the way, but still no sign of Kyoujiu.

"And it looks like in an unfortunate turn of events, for Kinomiya Takao anyhow, the match goes to –" the announcer suddenly broke off much to the chagrin of the audience and the large screen above the stadium suddenly moved from Takao's dejected face to the form of a small boy running into the stadium waving a beyblade tune-up kit.

"It's the Chief!" Chaya cheered, jumping up in her seat and hooting loudly. She ignored the stares she earned from the people sitting around her and started to leave, punching Hiwatari on the shoulder as she left. "Ciao for now, sunshine!"

Skidding down the stairs, careful not to fall over the concrete structures, she ducked into one of the dugouts leading down to the locker rooms reserved for the beybladers and their equipment. Although still a maze, it didn't take her as long as usual to maneuver her way around the halls and corridors. And it was easy to find Takao and Kyoujiu because halfway to the room she heard Takao complaining loudly. "But that's not the problem!"

"Yes, _I know_, Takao, but unless we increase Dragoon's power attack we might as well quit because Kon-san will mess it up even more. You must avoid your defense ring from getting destroyed again."

She peeked into the room just in time to see Takao nod at Kyoujiu with a look of calculating understanding. She grinned. "Hey guys." They looked up. "Sorry if I'm bugging you, but I needed to get some normal conversation or I was going to go postal. How's the beyblade repair going?"

"So far so good," Takao told her as she came in to peer over both boys' shoulders at the mess of plastic and metal that was the remnants of Takao's blade. "I didn't see you this morning. Where were you?"

"Well, I ran into Rei and then I got bored and decided to go bug Hiwatari-san – "

"And you survived?" Takao interrupted in an awed voice. "Maybe there's more to you than I thought."

"But of course," she said in mock-condescending voice, fluttering her eyelashes. "No one could hurt someone as cute as me."

"Guys, we really don't have time to joke around," Kyoujiu warned them, drawing their attention back to the matter at hand. "Takao, I almost forgot to tell you about a little invention of mine that I brought." The smaller boy took out something from the beyblade repair kit and held it up to Takao. It gleamed in the light as he handed it to him. "This is a new defense ring I designed."

Takao and Chaya leaned in close to the ring, which looked more like a thin metallic disk.

"It's made out of titanium and will withstand virtually any attack you can think of, including that nasty one that Rei used on you. He calls it his Tiger Claw attack and from what my stats say about it, it's unbeatable. Until now, of course."

Chaya whistled. "Titanium? How'd you get your hands on this stuff, Chief?"

"Military website," the brown-haired boy told her with an air of pried. "I have connections to a friend whose uncle is a supplier and he got it from this site."

"Wicked," she grinned, clapping him on the back. "Hey…do you think you can get some, er, materials for me?"

Kyoujiu sent her an appraising look. "Uh…no."

"Damn it!"

Kyoujiu began to fix the defense ring into Takao's blade, fixing up all of the other ends of it as well. "There's still something you should know. I haven't yet tested its balance because it would take far too long. However, it did work when I put it through the simulation mode."

"Well then we've got nothing to worry about," Takao said jovially, clapping Kyoujiu on the back. "With just a little luck we'll make the biggest beyblade comeback ever!"

"Better start praying to Hotei then," Chaya commented. "Because one little change in blade is not going to beat Rei." (1)

Takao rolled his eyes and then commented sarcastically, "Yeah, that really instilled confidence."

"I'm glad."

Kyoujiu finished with his repairs and handed the blade to Takao. "Here, take this and win. There's a reason you've come this far and there's no going back. Don't lose, and if you do, do as much damage as you can."

"You got it!" Takao cheered, punching the air. "And after all your hard work, there's no way we can't bring Kon to his knees!"

"Unless you sit on him after you've finished eating," Chaya murmured, ignoring the contemptuous look Takao shot her as he left the locker room and hurried back to the stadium. For a moment Chaya and Kyoujiu exchanged amused glances, before hurrying after Takao.

The announcer had already invited Takao and Rei to take their positions when they arrived behind him.

"Go Takao! Go Rei!" Chaya cheered, waving her hands and flashing thumbs-up signs to both of them. Takao grinned, while Rei looked at her in confusion. Then they faced each other, both attempting to stare down the other one.

"_Ichi! Ni! San! Shi_! _Let it rip_!" the announcer called out and they were off once again. Chaya blinked, trying to see Takao's blade through the blur it had become. He was already attacking Rei, grinding up against the other blade. A series of sparks and tiny pieces of plastic flew up from behind Takao's blade.

"Hey Kyoujiu…you didn't happen to use a rim made of magnesium, did you?" she faltered as the spark grew bigger.

"No," the boy moaned. "The friction from the blade is causing the defense ring to overheat."

Rei, it seemed, was growing tired of this game and ordered his blade to attack, smashing into Takao's blade in the same attack that it had used before. Chaya refrained from shielding her eyes, instead watching in awe as instead of flying from the dish in pieces, Takao's blade repelled Rei's with an equally strong force.

"Yes! It's working!" she heard him yell. "Counter attack!"

The blade increased its rotation rate, but instead of disappearing from view, the air in the dish began to pull together. With a gasp Chaya watched along with the rest of the spectators as a whirlwind of sorts formed above the Dragoon blade. The velocity of the spin continued to grow and Chaya and Kyoujiu attempted to keep their hair and clothes from blowing every which way.

A cool sensation crept up her legs and arms, and she knew for a fact it had nothing to do with the cool wind. Something was about to happen…

"Storm Attack!" Takao yelled, gesturing forward. The tornado of wind and dust finally engulfed Rei's blade, hiding it from the sight ever everyone. Glancing it the Chinese blader he didn't seem to be phased in the slightest at this new development, whether impressed or worried. He finally sent Takao an unimpressed smirk and called across the swirling winds, "I'll give you high marks for trying, but you're still not in my league – Drigger, come out and show him how it's really done!"

It seemed light within the eye of the twister there was a struggle taking place. There were flashes of a white green and a loud roar. The winds surrounding Rei's blade began to split and Chaya found herself forgetting to breathe, her eyes widening. She could feel a strong presence just meters from her. Just as she thought of this, the winds dispersed, vanishing around the form of a magnificent shape above them all.

The white-green energy and light had morphed into the form of a tiger that towered majestically above the four teenagers below it. The being roared loudly, the sound almost ear-shattering as it looked around. She could feel the impulse to pull back in fear, but held fast, remembering that the beast was there to battle with Takao, not launch itself into a feeding frenzy…if bitbeasts did eat…

There was a snarl and suddenly the thing was looking at her. Not just in her direction, but right at her. Right through her. And it let out a ferocious snarl quite unlike the proud roar from before. She felt something stir within herself, not fear as she would have thought, but a feeling of deep annoyance. It lasted a mere second before it was gone and Drigger was looking back at Takao's blade reproachful like.

"Drigger, Tiger Claw Attack!" she heard Rei roar, not sounding unlike his bitbeast

"Dragoon, counter attack!" Takao yelled frantically and she watched him wince as the tiger pounced forward.

Chaya watched in amazement. Takao's control over his blade, which held a bitbeast, was strong, even though from what she'd heard he had only received Dragoon about a month earlier. It was almost similar to Max's case. And they had both managed to master and use their bitbeasts power to the full potential without so much as a headache. And form what she could see of Rei as the two blades clashed in furious combat, it was so for him as well. No other bitbeast seemed to affect their master the way hers did.

She didn't understand it.

The disks rotated around, vigorously crashing into each other, trying to push the other out. As they fought the two blades revolved around the dish, battling it out. Even if separated for a moment, they were knocking back against each other seconds later.

"Takao, the defense ring isn't built for attacking!" Kyoujiu yelled from behind her, looking up at the tiger spirit in awe.

"Great, now you tell me!" the dark-haired retorted. "Come on, Dragoon, hang in there!"

As if his words were a spell the blade that had seemed to be wearing down seemed to double in effort, gaining velocity with every moment. Once it broke free of Rei's blade, it again spun around, sending blasts of hot wind in every direction. Chaya blinked. "It's going back into tornado mode."

"But-but how – ?"

Kyoujiu's question was cut off as a brilliant flash of light lit the stadium. The wind picked up and then let off for a moment as the light took the form of takao's bitbeast. Chaya had only ever seen glimmers of it and felt it's presence through the blade itself. What she was seeing now made her balk. The white-blue aura surrounded a might Dragoon, whose claws and fangs were poised for attack as it faced off against the tiger bitbeast. Before it did though, the same thing that had happened with the tiger bitbeast happened again.

The dragon noticed her presence and gave a warning bellow, before turning its back on her. And again, the familiar note of annoyance entered her entire conscious self.

What was going on? If she didn't know better it was almost as though they saw her as some sort of threat.

Takao and Rei were both yelling again, their battle cries melding in the sound vortex of the spinning wing and thundering ripples of the bitbeasts presence. The tornado seemed to grow even stronger, affecting even the people in the stands who shielded themselves against the strengthening winds. The dust began to pick up, creating a cloudy wind that sheltered the two blades from view.

For a long moment Takao and Rei stared each other down in determination, and Chaya squinted between the two as she tried to keep the dust from her eyes. And then, just when she was sure one of them would attack the other physically, there was something expelled from the torrent of winds, flying right past Rei. She gasped, seeing the light green aura surrounding the blade and realized that it was his Drigger blade. Moments later, the bandana he wore tore slightly as though having been cut by a razor wind.

The wind in the dish died down, revealing Takao's blade which was still spinning strongly against all odds.

It took a moment for everything to register, a lull falling over everything. Chaya blinked, then stared, and then blinked again. And then

"YYEEAAAHH! GO TAKAO!" she cheered loudly, jumping forward and glomping onto his back.

"Ow! Ow!" he yelled, pushing her off and glaring. "What the heck is your problem!"

The announcers began to speak up. "And round two goes to Kinomiya-san."

"Alright, Dragoon," Takao grinned, hurrying forward to collect his blade and ready himself for the third match.

"I don't understand how he did it, but for some reason his defense ring actually managed to hold up," Kenny pondered out loud. "He's full of surpise – ack!"

"Yes!" there was a cheer from behind the three and suddenly Chaya found herself on the ground in a huddle of bodies, being squished into the ground by her twin brother as he hugged his friends.

"Hey, what are you trying to do, kill us!" Takao demanded from his place beneath Chaya.

"What you guys did to your beyblade was totally sweet!" Max cried, reaching over to give Takao noogies. Chaya groaned in pain as he shifted and pulled herself out of the heap, trying to gain her bearings as she stood up.

She mumbled grumpily. "Max, next time you do that you'll be forgoing your ability to have children."

She could feel eyes on her and when she looked up she noticed Rei, watching them thoughtfully. He looked at them almost forlornly, as though he knew the feeling of rough-housing around with his friends but had long since forgotten it. She smiled at him. "Hey, it may be no celebration for you, but you could at least congratulate him for getting this far."

He didn't reply for a long time, before looking up with a smile, first at her, and then at Takao. "Hey, Kinomiya!" The three boys disentangled themselves from the heap on the floor and stood looking curiously at Rei, who slowly strode forward, a genuine smile on his face for the first time since the match had begun. "Way to go. That was a good fight. I've never faced a challenger as strong as you."

"Uh…thanks," Takao seemed unsure of the sudden turn-about in Rei's attitude.

"That was a pretty good fight and I mean that."

"Well you're pretty amazing yourself, Kon."

"Really?" the Chinese boy sounded as though he had never thought this about himself. "That's a compliment."

"Would you two cut it out?" Chaya moaned. "All this sappy good-camaraderie is boring. Get back to the match!"

"She's right," Max broke in, draping an arm around his sister.

Rei shrugged, still smiling. "Looks like you won."

Takao frowned. "But…we're tied one apiece. It's the best of three, isn't that right?"

Rei laughed. "There's no point to continue. I don't stack up against you this round. So take Dragoon into the finals and do some damage."

The four teens watched Rei begin to walk away, Takao glancing at his now stationary blade and then at the retreating back of his opponent. "Hey…come back! We're not done yet!"

"Yes we are," Rei replied easily, waving behind him although he didn't turn to look at them. "Good luck!"

"What up with that?" Takao murmured.

Chaya shook her head. "Who knows? All I know is it must suck to win that way."

"Yeah…"

The announcers were going crazy about the outcome of the match.

"Hey, don't gripe about it!" Max yelled cheerfully, making Chaya wince. "Takao, you won!"

"Yeah…" he was quiet for a long moment, looking at his blade and then grinning up at Max. "Yeah, I did! And next up, it's going to be Hiwatari!"

'And that's a match I look forward to watching,' Chaya thought with grim satisfaction, looking up into the stands where she had been sitting with the stoic teenager. Much to her surprise, his seat was already empty. It figured. He had only been there to scope out the competition and that was done. Now all that was left to do was wait until the next week for the next tournament.

She felt a pang of cold through her and made a face.

And for that shipment of books that Alan had promised…

* * *

(1) Hotei is the Japanese Shinto god of happiness and luck.

* * *

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! 

Okay, that felt good.

Please review, and Daiyo!


	7. Chapter Six

_**The Underdog Syndrome**_

**Author**: KuriQuinn

**Title**: The Underdog Syndrome

**Fandom**: Beyblade

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Beyblade, but if I did I'd probably be rich and still reading fanfiction

**Pairing**: I'll never tell…

**Rating**: PG-13 for language

**Summary**: A teen with heavy emotional baggage is suddenly thrown back into the world of beyblading, only to be thrown a series of lives curveballs a day at a time.

**Takes Place:** Series

**Note to Readers: **This should be the last purely beyblade centric chapter for a few chapters considering I too find it boring. I was just doing it so we could build some chemistry for the characters. (You know, likes, dislikes, rivalries, fights, stuff like that). Although the following ones will have the mention of beyblading and you will see a beyblade, I will not be going for the blow-by-blow action. Because this fic is more about Chaya than Takao trying to be the big-shot blader. Insert eyeroll here.

_

* * *

October 21, 2001 _

"It's your birthday! Your day of birth! Your first day on earth! Your only day of worth!" Chaya sang loudly and off key as she pranced around the small locker room, doing pirouettes and poking Takao every few seconds. The Japanese boy stared at her as though she were some kind of other-world life form, not even bothering to move out of her way when she twirled by again.

He leaned over to Max and whispered, "And she does this _every_ year for you?"

"Since we were seven," her brother said with a groan. "That was the year she got knocked in the face with a ball one too many times."

Chaya rounded on her brother and glared. "I heard that, Maxie."

"Hey, how about less bad singing and more cake?" Takao suggested, leaning over one of the tables to grab some of the food that his grandfather and friends of the family had brought.

Chaya opened her mouth to argue with his comment about her singing, but then thought better of it, deciding that it _was_ Takao's birthday today and she should therefore be nice to him. After all, he had completely forgotten about it himself, he didn't need any more annoyance.

Speaking of annoyance…

She glanced across the room through the numerous people she didn't know, catching sight of Hiwatari through the hubbub. He was leaning against the wall near the door with his eyes closed, looking as though he was asleep and propped up against the wall even though she knew that was quite the contrary. He had been there for two hours now, longer than they had even been in the room. Just standing there. And even when Chaya had begun to talk about him in a very loud voice hoping to make him leave he had just stood there doing nothing.

He hadn't even moved when Takao's crazy grandfather had slid into the room and announced his grandson's birthday.

"Do you think he's got butterflies in his stomach?" she heard Kyoujiu ask, pulling her out of her thoughts. She looked up, eying the fiasco that was taking place right in front of them as Takao dove into whatever food he could cram into his mouth.

"Nope," she replied, watching him nearly choke on a piece of cake. "But he's got everything else in there…"

Max sniggered. "You got that right."

Chaya watched her brother and Kyoujiu follow Takao's lead, although not so enthusiastically, and then looked back at Hiwatari, wondering if he had left yet. To her surprise he was still there and Takao…what was Takao doing!

He was grinning sheepishly at Hiwatari and holding out a piece of cake to him. The slate-haired teenager opened his eyes and looked at Takao blankly, as though trying to understand some lower-level life form and then pushed off from the wall, leaving the room. He said something that she couldn't hear, leaving Takao staring after him as he left the room.

She frowned. His entire face had blank throughout the entire ordeal and yet…

Without even thinking through her plan, she slipped through the door and followed him out, sneaking after him as he walked down the hallway. She wanted to say something, but couldn't figure out where to start. Part of her wanted to just go back into the party and forget all about some stupid anti-social kid, but the other part was curious was to what was up with him. Even the jerks back home had never turned down free cake.

She stopped walking, ready to turn around, but never did. Her jaw was opening and closing, with no sound coming out.

Finally, irritation at her uselessness growing greatly, she blurted out the first thing that came to her mind.

"You…you never had a birthday party before, have you?" Her voice was unnecessarily loud, and echoed in the corridor, but she didn't think anyone had heard it.

He paused in mid-step, stopped, but didn't turn around. "Finished stuffing yourself already?"

She ignored the sneer and tried to joke. "Well, I have to watch my figure." He began walking again and she followed him, albeit at a distance. "Come on, Ka – Hiwatari. The least you could do is pretend to have fun. I know you and Takao have differences…and kind of sort of hate each other…but that's no reason to be such a wet-blanket! I mean, what's a party between frie – acquai – enemies?" She caught up to him, leaving only a step or two between them. "Sure, Takao isn't the smartest person around, but he's okay. Stop being a grouch for once!" He actually looked up at her this time, but only to send her a withering glare.

She increased the space between them by about a foot, but continued to follow him. Clearing her throat and trying to remain undaunted, she tried again, once again letting out the first thing that entered her head. "Louis XIV said 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer'. Ever tried that approach?"

The glare intensified and he turned the corner, leaving her alone. This time she didn't follow made stuck her tongue out in the direction and he had been and called after him, "If this is how you treat your enemies, I pity your friends!"

No reply.

"Yeah! Walk away! I'm going to…go…watch the match and throw garbage at you!" She paused, and then added, "Yeah!"

Someone cleared their throat and she looked towards the sound, seeing the spectator from the day before staring at her nervously as though she was about to attack him. She raised an eyebrow at him and he let out a muffled squeak, turning around and running, leaving Chaya staring down into the empty hall.

'What the hell?'

(-)

The stands were already filling up when Chaya climbed the stairs out of the underground, looking around. She had come out on the side opposite of where she usually found seats and was therefore a little disoriented. She wondered about going back and hanging out at the little party a while longer, but when she glanced up at the time she realized it was probably finishing up right now. There'd be no point to leave again.

"Chaya! Chaya, over here!"

At the sound of her own voice she looked around for the source, finally catching sight of Rei waving her over from five rows up. He was sitting with Daitenji-san, who to Chaya's surprise, had not opted for his private box for this match-up. Looking around a few more times in case there were any seats nearby for later, she climbed the stairs towards the two of them and slipped into the row where they were.

"O hayou gozaimasu, Daitenji-san," she murmured when she reached the older man, inclining her head downward, and then looked up at the Chinese boy, grinning. "Rei."

"Good morning to you too, Chaya," Daitenji nodded politely. "Are you excited about today's match?"

"I've been looking forward to it all week," she told him truthfully. "Kyoujiu, Max and I have been training Takao as much as we could, so Hiwatari-san isn't going to have an easy time of it."

"That's good to hear," Daitenji nodded.

The cheering began as down below the two bladers appeared in the stadium. Takao waved wildly to everyone, one hand free and the other holding his beyblade launcher tightly. Opposite him, Kai walked stiffly into the arena, looking as though the following match was just some tedious chore he would have to complete. As they both reached the center where the beydish was located, a large, heavy iron cage sprang up on four sides, enclosing the dish and the players within.

"Well, I guess that mean's it's beginning," she beamed. "I'd better go find a seat."

"Why don't you sit with us?" Rei offered, gesturing to the seat near him.

"I – uh – "

"That is, as long a Daitenji-san doesn't have a problem," the Chinese boy added, sending a searching look towards his benefactor.

"No problem at all," the gray haired old man chuckled. "I warrant we have the best seats in this place, where else could we see what looks like will be the most stimulating match in this tournament."

"Well, if you're sure," she grinned, plopping down onto the seat next to Rei.

"How do you think Kinomiya's going to stack up against Hiwatari?" he asked her conversationally as she made herself comfortable.

"Well, it'll be close," she admitted as she gazed down at the two who were facing off. "Hiwatari probably thinks it'll be easy considering this is Takao's first ever final match. But from what Kyoujiu told me and Max, Takao's already bladed against him twice so he should know what to expect by now." She watched Takao shout something at Hiwatari who merely shrugged it off, which further riled her friend, and she sighed. "Of course if Takao gives in to taunting as easily as he usually does, Hiwatari might just have the upper hand after all."

Rei laughed out loud. "I see what you mean. He is a little hotheaded, isn't he?"

In the arena, Hiwatari and Takao faced off, launching equally smooth launches. It took only seconds before the Dragoon beyblade pulled away from Kai's, increasing its rotation and gaining momentum. Telltale gusts of wind began to slowly issue from above the blades before a gigantic cyclone formed. Despite its magnitude, Hiwatari didn't look much interested in his opponent's maneuvers. Beside her, Rei whistled. "Whoa."

Chaya nodded, her eyes never leaving the battle as she focused on the match. The whirlwind blade moved stealthily forward, not even pausing as it knocked Dranzer out of the dish. The force of the blow was such that it sent Hiwatari flying straight backwards, ramming into the cage that held both him and Takao.

The announcer wasted no time in announcing Takao the winner, trying to be heard above the confused murmurs of the audience. Chaya understood their confusions. She too had expected Hiwatari to put up more of a fight. He had lost the first session way to easily considering his usual fight.

"Well done, Kinomiya," Rei said proudly, grinning down at the waving figure in the arena.

Daitenji chuckled. "I knew that boy had gumption."

Something wasn't right…

"Don't celebrate just yet," Chaya warned, her eyes fixed on Kai's unmoving form. He still sat where he had been thrown by Dragoon's storm blast, and didn't show any signs of moving. She could feel Daitenji and Rei's eyes on her and look up at them. "Hiwatari's planned something. He's a fighter, not someone that would just give in and lose right away. I think he's leading Takao into a false sense of security. He's counting on his over-confidence so that when Takao least expects it he can blow him out of the water."

Rei looked surprised. "You sound like you've thought this through."

"Actually," she grinned sheepishly. "I pulled that move a lot of the time back when I was a soloist. It's a great way to outsmart the competition. You make them think their winning, give them a little, and then when they think they know you, you put all your power behind your attack and let loose. The opponent remains so confused that they're not focused on the match and you can scoop a win."

"Impressive."

"Not as impressive as this match is going to get," she reminded him. "Let's see if Takao falls for Hiwatari's ploy."

They turned back to the match where Hiwatari had gotten up again and taken off the long shark-fin gloves that he wore. He was facing Takao with a look of determination that could even be seen way up in the stands. Chaya focused on the teenager's blade, which was still in hand. Would he send out Dranzer in this match? She hoped so. She was sure she would catch sight of the crimson phoenix in at least one of the next two matches, and when she did she would be able to study its behavior towards its master.

Although she had already seen Dranzer once before, it had been only brief, and because Hiwatari had beaten Max she had only seen it when it won. If it was possible, and Takao managed to beat Hiwatari and his bitbeast, maybe she would see its reaction to loss.

The two competitors crouched down into their launch positions right away, the tension in the air mounting to incredibly density. There was the starting cry and then they were both flying. The blades had barely touched the ground when Takao entered play, wasting no time in calling up his storm again. It seemed he hoped to win this match in the same way as the last.

The wind blew forcefully throughout the entire stadium, causing the spectators to shield their eyes at the dust that picked up. Even if you managed to stand the wind, the dust obscured everything from vision. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Rei and Daitenji-san with their hands over their heads for protection. The dust was beginning to affect her too, and not only in her eyes.

She was beginning to cough and the choking sensation that always crept up on her in warning of an asthma attack had appeared. If the dust didn't settle soon she'd have to find her father, as he had her inhaler.

The constricting feeling was becoming stronger and just when she was ready to get up and leave, all the color left her world.

_The world was void of color, and as she squinted across the distance she realized that she could see through the dust. Within the tornado she watched a flaming torch rise up from within and form itself into a whirling cyclone of fire and heat. The fire grew, becoming stronger, and finally cut through the wind shield. From within the flame there was a shriek and the form of a phoenix rose above everything._

There was a bright light and suddenly she was back to the real world, her hands shielding her from the gigantic dusty whirlwind. She choked again, wondering where the vision had come from and how long it would be before it came true.

She didn't have long to wait.

Not even seconds later the whirlwind dissipated and the crowds found themselves staring in awe at the pillar of fire. Above the fire she could see the phoenix, hovering majestically in the air, fire crackling from between its feathers. Hiwatari called out an order and the phoenix dove, the blade that held its essence shooting forwards in a ball of fire, sending Takao's blade careening out of the dish and to the concrete floor.

As though hit by the same force, Takao went sailing backwards into a crumpled heap.

The phoenix let out a shriek of victory and readied itself to return to Hiwatari's blade. Before it did though it seemed to pause. As she watched, it lifted its head and before she knew it, locked eyes with her.

A tremendous heat seemed to spill through her body, and yet she shivered from the growing cold. The gaze of the phoenix was calculating, not menacing the way those of the other bitbeasts had been. And then, before she could delve further in trying to understand, the phoenix had disappeared.

"Chaya? Are you alright?"

She flinched and looked up at Rei, who was watching her anxiously. She realized that her hand was grasping her throat as though she was choking, and she was gasping for breath. She coughed and tried to slow down her breathing, smiling reassuringly at the Chinese boy. "I'm fine. It just looks like Takao's not, that's all."

"You shouldn't get so riled over someone else's loss," Rei laughed, settling back again. "You really are a real fan of the game, aren't you?"

"Yeah," she faltered, her eyes flickering to the large screen that displayed the score that was tied one apiece, as well as the grim smirk on Hiwatari's face. "Sure…"

Takao slowly got up and said something to Hiwatari the made the older teen's eyes glint with something that reminded her of respect for one mere moment, before they hardened again.

"Both of those boys deserve to win," Daitenji-san said forcefully, sounding sincere in his words.

"I don't know," Chaya answered thoughtfully. "They're both a little full of themselves. Takao thinks he's the cats behind and Hiwatari seems to believe he's the best thing since fried noodles."

"But they're both top-notch." Rei stated. "And it's unfortunate only one of them will win."

The final match was announced; Takao and Hiwatari faced off and the stands suddenly became so quiet that Chaya was sure she might be able to hear a pin drop. Both of them looked as though they wanted to win at any cost, and something within Chaya told her that their bitbeasts were of the same determined opinion.

Both blades were shot out of their launchers with so much force that they knocked against each other almost immediately, causing crackles of electricity to form between them, before both of them let loose their tornadoes of flame and wind. Within the whirlwinds, Chaya watched as both Dragoon and Dranzer were released and began their fight against one another. As they clashed flame and wind sprang up in massive spurts, the energy crackling between the two of them filling the arena with a hot wind that slapped against every face.

The blades separated as though repelled, thrown back to the rim of the dish before attempting to collide again more powerful than before. Chaya gasped out loud, hearing some kind of great explosion in her head. It took her a few moments to realize she was not the only one to hear it as the rest of the audience recoiled as an explosion rocked the arena, causing a flash of white, heated light to stretch far into every corner of the arena.

She could feel her mouth moving, but she couldn't understand what she was saying. All she was sure about was the immense power emanating from the clash-point of the two warring bitbeasts.

Slowly, the arena came back into focus, revealing both Takao and Hiwatari looking around; trying to determine which blade had come out the champion. It took a moment to realize that the dish was empty of both blades. She glanced left and right, looking to see if either blade had been tossed to her side, but it took Takao pointing up at the sky to make her and every other person in the stadium stare upwards in fascination.

There was a flash from above, and everyone looked to see the red and blue essences of Dranzer and Dragoon plummeting towards the ground, falling like a couple of meteors. It didn't take a genius to see that the bitbeasts were just as determined as their owners to win, and it took a few moments for the two bladers to gain their wits about them. In the air, the two blades smacked against each other, causing sparks to fly as they grew nearer to the ground.

She watched, mouth agape as the two bitbeasts hurtled downward, the force of their fall seeming to cause a barrier around them. The impact of the bitbeasts on the ground created an explosion of sound louder than the first one. The respective blades continued to fall for a short time towards the edge of the beydish, almost in slow motion despite the velocity.

To the watching eyes of the crowd, Takao's blade wobbled a little on it's axis before spinning slowly back into the middle pf the dish. Hiwatari's blade was poised to do the same, but suddenly, to the shock of everyone, the blade spun off the top of the dish's rim and out of the play area, coming to a rolling stop at Kai's feet.

There was a brief lull, before the crowds burst into wild cheering.

"The winner of the National Beyblade Championships is Kinomiya Takao!" the roaring drone of the announcer shattered through the cheers of the crowd. Takao jumped into the air, waving his launcher like mad. Up in the stands, Chaya joined him, dancing around in the small space between each row.

"Yes!" Rei shouted, also standing.

"He did it! The little whiner actually did it!" she laughed, grabbing Rei and hugging him joyfully, before letting go. "Come on, we need to go congratulate him!"

"And I have an announcement to make," Daitenji-san said jovially, picking up his cane from where it had leaned on his seat for the match and followed the two teenagers down the stairs to the middle of the arena.

It took a few moments to get down the stairs without tripping over the screaming fans, but they managed it, mostly due to Chaya's decision to push whoever was in her way out of her way.

They reached the arena in time to see the cages around the beystadium to spring back into the ground and Hiwatari glaring up at Takao contemptuously. The two of them shared a few words before Daitenji-san arrived, clearing his throat. "You boys sure know how to play the crowd."

"Oh, hi Daitenji-san," Takao said, and then looked up in confusion. "Kon."

From behind her Chinese friend's shoulder, she watched Hiwatari begin to put his shark-fin glove back on. She cleared her throat a little and strode forward, cocking her head to one side. "You know…you look more normal without those things."

The anti-social teen purposefully ignored her, watching Daitenji-san expectantly. The portly gentleman cleared his throat and spread his arms, placing one around Takao and one around Hiwatari. "On behalf of the BBA, I just wanted to congratulate you both for putting on one heck of a show."

"Hmph," Hiwatari snorted, not looking at them as he pulled away from the old man. "So I guess if I'm not the champion anymore you'll have no further use of my skills, Daitenji-san?"

"On the contrary," Daitenji said, letting out a hearty laugh that made Kai regard him with annoyance. "I was thinking more along the lines of making you a team captain."

"A what?" Hiwatari mumbled with disbelief.

Takao interjected, "Do you really mean it!"

Almost as though answering his question, the lights in the entire stadium suddenly went out and the spotlight fell on Takao and Hiwatari, both of whom started slightly having not expected it.

"Let's give it up to the two top beybladers in Japan!" the announcer was saying, his voice echoing immensely. "New champ Kinomiya Takao and his worthy opponent, Hiwatari Kai." The two of them had such identical looks of shock on their face that Chaya couldn't help but laughing out loud at both of them. "Now it's time to announce the official team, which will represent us at the World Championship Tournament in Russia! Semi-finalistsMax Tateand Kon Rei – !"

There were wild cheers from the crowd as the spotlights fell on Rei beside her and over in the stands on her brother, who waved sheepishly at the crowd. Rei chuckled lightly, grinning up at the people in the stands with a practiced ease that made Chaya sure that Rei was used to being part of the center of attention.

" – champion and finalist Kinomiya Takao and Hiwatari Kai – !"

Again the tumultuous cheers and Chaya screamed loudly, cheering them on. Hiwatari still looked a little stunned, while Takao was laughing it all up. She clapped loudly, both for them and for her brother. Max had wanted this, and she was so glad that his loss to Kai hadn't hindered him from experiencing being a world champ one day.

" – and as soloist representative of the BBA, blader Tate Chaya!"

Her jaw dropped and for a second her mind drew a complete blank. She was aware of the loud cheers from all sides of the stadium, and the clap on the back from Rei, who was laughing and cheering for her. Her ears had picked up on the words loud and clear, but her mind wasn't registering the fact. She whirled around and stared at Daitenji-san, at a loss for words while he beamed and nodded at her.

"Join me in wishing them good luck in the World Beyblading championships!" The announcer finally stopped talking, letting the wild cheers take over the stadium.

She looked down at her feet. Her initial thoughts on the matter were to rejoice and cheer that she had been included as part of the BBA's team. But the other part reminded her that if she became a competitor again she might fall to Zorn's power once again. She could almost hear the cold laughter in her head at that thought and shook her head furiously, slowly approaching Daitenji-san.

He was talking to Hiwatari and Takao. "You should see your faces…I had them make the announcements after the match because I didn't want them to spoil the surprise and risk distracting you from your battles."

"Are you serious?" Takao sounded as though he were waiting for someone to jump out and yell 'surprise', and was even more addled when no one did.

Rei nodded vigorously. "Totally. And just think. Out beyblading team should be able to go the distance. I think we'll even become the world champs if we try hard enough!"

Chaya slipped past Rei and Takao who began to debate about names they might want to call their team and tapped Daitenji on the shoulder. "Excuse me, Daitenji-san, but…are you sure you want me to be part of this? I mean…"

"Chaya, my mind had been made up when I decided to bring Rei into the tournament. Originally, I planned to make the team of all four semi-finalists, but when I decided to bring Rei into the picture I realized it would not have been fair to the finalist that lost the exhibition match to be disallowed the team. Therefore I decided that instead of finding the BBA soloist blader by file the way I usually do, the loser of the exhibition match would get the position." He chuckled. "Besides, you have the talent and the experience in just such a position."

"But Daitenji-san…what about my father…?"

Daitenji snorted. "Don't you worry. I spoke to your father on the matter and reminded him that at some point he will need to let you experience things again. I managed to convince him you could be a part of the team, provided you behave yourself and remain a true ambassador of the BBA."

"I…well…" she looked down, feeling the back of her neck heating up. Here was the chance of a life time. And she was hesitating over it because of her psychotic bitbeast. She did want to be in the championships, no mistake about that…but she didn't think she could stand another power surge from Zorn. Or the experience that had left her entire family shook up. She could practically hear Alan's voice cautioning her not to join the team, to think of her brother and father. Looking up, she watched as Max and Kyoujiu hurried over and began to congratulate Takao on his fine win.

"Well, Chaya?"

She stared up at Daitenji-san again. "I…uh…that is…" she sighed and looked down in defeat.

'I can't believe I'm doing this…'

She bowed her head to Daitenji-san. "I am honored by your offer, Daitenji-san, and it would be my pleasure to accept."

"Excellent," the old man cheered, putting his hand on her shoulder in a reassuring manner, and then moving again. She sighed wistfully and looked up again, watching Max put Takao in a headlock and give him noogies. When he looked up at her she manufactured an elated smile and laughed, going over to hug him.

"I can't believe it!" he said to her, looking amazed but happy. "We both get to travel on the beyblade world circuit! Together!"

"You got it," she grinned, grabbing her brother's hand and squeezing it. "The world isn't ready for us, Maxie."

"Yeah, something about two blond kids just makes the world run for cover," Takao said with a snigger. She reached over to slug him, but he ducked and made a face at her.

"We're off to the Asian tournaments first," she heard Rei explain to Kyoujiu, "meaning China."

Takao mentioned something about one of his cousins being there on vacation and how the food there was supposed to be really good, which got Rei laughing and telling them about the restaurant where he used to work in down-town Hong Kong. She felt a kind of elated calm as she watched the other guys joke around, and Daitenji-san saying something to Hiwatari that made the teen shrug and finally nod.

Takao broke away from the others and jumped in front of his former opponent, thrusting out his hand. "Hey, Kai, put'er there!"

The impassive blader looked at Takao's hand and then turned away. Chaya could barely hear his voice above the crowds. "I agree to lead the team, but that doesn't mean we're going to be the best of friends now. I'm doing this for one reason and that's the get to the world championships – and win." He made his way down the stairs and towards the exit, before pausing to say one final thing to Takao. "Happy birthday, Kinomiya, enjoy it. Because we're starting training first thing tomorrow morning."

Along with the others, she watched their 'leader' walk away without so much as a backwards glance.

"He's a rather cheery fellow, isn't he?" Daitenji-san commented in a cheerfully sarcastic voice.

Takao mumbled something under his breath about that that Chaya didn't catch. She continued to watch Kai's retreating back, before something occurred to her. Dranzer had lost the match. And like the other bitbeasts, she had not dealt any retribution on her blader. It was strange. The phoenix had struck her as more powerful than the other ones.

Maybe it was only bitbeasts that had been held for a long time that corrupted the soul, she thought.

There was one way to find out.

"Hey! Wait!" she yelled, breaking into a run to follow Kai. She could hear her brother and the others calling her name, but she ignored them as she pushed herself down the stairs, gripping the banister as she caught up with Kai. "Wait, Kai."

"What do you want?" his voice was cold and not impressed that she had followed him. Although he didn't turn around she was sure he had a guarded glare on his face.

"I…wanted to tell you that I think that match was really cool," she began hesitantly, wondering how she was going to bring about this conversation.

He snorted. "I don't think that's what you had to say."

"Hey, would you let me finish?" she snapped, annoyed that he had interrupted her. "Look, I wanted to say that, and also that Dranzer is a really amazing bitbeast. How long have you had her?"

She saw Kai's shoulders tense and he had whirled around, sending her the strongest glare to date. "He. Dranzer's male. And it's none of your business how long I've had him."

"It was just a question," she mumbled, backing up a step. "And no. You're wrong. Dranzer's female."

"And you would know this how?" he inquired mockingly, an eyebrow raising slightly, prompting her to respond.

She opened her mouth to answer exactly how she knew, when she realized that she had no idea. She had never known of Dranzer before, never seen the beast until the qualifying tournament. It didn't make sense to her that she knew Dranzer was female, she just did. It was almost the same way as automatically knowing who one's parents were. It was as though she had known all her life.

She shrugged, looking at her feet as she was unable to reply.

"That's what I thought," he said in a nasty voice. "Get lost."

Anger sparked within her and her head shot up to watch him continue to walk away. There words weren't even her own, but she knew she had spoken them. "Nine years then? That's a long time to hold a bitbeast."

This time when he turned, his eyes were void of the cold anger. In fact, she couldn't read anything in them. For the longest time they just stared at each other and then she came to herself, backing up and turning to run in the opposite direction, intent on escaping the emotionless expression on the teen's face as well as her own questions as to how she knew things she wasn't supposed to know.

* * *

WELL, FINALLY, WE GET SOME ACTION THAT MATTERS. MORE REASONS FOR KAI TO DISLIKE CHAYA. MWAHAHA, OH, THE ASIAN TOURNAMENTS ARE GOING TO BE GOOD… 

I think I might possibly had made a mistake with Takao's birthdate, but it was all for the sake of the fic.

REVIEW!

Daiyo!


	8. Chapter Seven

**_The Underdog Syndrome_**

**Author**: KuriQuinn

**Title**: The Underdog Syndrome

**Fandom**: Beyblade

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Beyblade, but if I did I'd probably be rich and still reading fanfiction

**Pairing**: I'll never tell…

**Rating**: PG-13 for language

**Summary**: A teen with heavy emotional baggage is suddenly thrown back into the world of beyblading, only to be thrown a series of lives curveballs a day at a time.

**Takes Place:** Series

**Note: **My Chinese is not very good. We will establish that first and foremost. Second of all, I used what I'm almost positive is the Chinese words for the White Tiger team. Third of all, I also used the Japanese version's of the White Tigers names and tried to Chinafy them. Ergo:  
_Lee is Lai_ (Japanese version it is 'Rai', but that's because in Japanese you don't pronounce the 'l' and I figure this is what they meant  
_Mariah is Mao_ (most of you already know this)  
_Gary is Gao_ (meh)  
_Keven is Kiki_ (But because I don't like that name on him it will just be a nickname and his actual name will be Ken-zhi. Don't like it? Get over it. And don't give me that look, Flash)

**RANT:** For goddess' sake, people, what part of '**_LOOK AT MY PROFILE_**' are you not understanding! I regularly put up news regarding fic updates and what's going on in my mind/fic updation and you don't get it, and I get emails and reviews that aren't even reviews that are constantly asking _'When will you update such and such'_ or _'Continue this, that or the other thing'_. And the absolute most annoying which is like _'real great, but when are you updating this other fic that has absolutely nothing to do with this one_?' Thank you for making me feel horrible knowing you probably didn't bother to read the fic in question but went on to jabber about the other one. Yeesh!

Also, just to remind you considering some of you probably haven't bothered with looking at my profile for information (kudos to all of you who did, though, I'm not yelling at you) I will not be updating for the next week. I will be on a vacation that I have been trying to get since I graduated in June and not thinking about one fic what so ever. Updates will continue post-July-24.

There. I am ranted out.

* * *

_October 29, 2001_

"Stuck here! For a whole night!" Chaya gaped at Daitenji-san, trying to form coherent thoughts but not being able to come up with any. "W-why!"

"Well, I'm afraid to say the Xining area is facing some heavy storms at the moment and it is not safe to fly in those conditions. Therefore we will remain here for the night and take the earliest flight tomorrow morning."

"What about our luggage?" she asked almost frantically, looking a little flustered for a moment.

"Don't worry, no one will steal it," the gray old man chuckled. "It will meet us when we get to Xining, so you will have to make do with your carry-on for now."

"What if there's still storms tomorrow?"

"The forecasts say that it should all be cleared up by tomorrow, but if not than we will have to stay here another night," Daitenji-san shrugged indifferently. "If my hunch is correct the tournament will not commence until the majority of the bladers are there. And if we are facing bad storms, it's likely that a great part of the competitors in other provinces are facing the same challenge that we are." He patted her on the shoulder and walked past her to deal with the aide that had brought the news. "It's nothing unbearable, is it, Chaya?"

She gaped at his back, unable to reply.

She was so screwed. She felt like banging her head against something heavy enough to do some real brain-damage, but considering there were too many witness and people to stop her, she didn't bother.

The trip had begun well enough, with her and Max getting to the airport on time and meeting up with the entire team excepting Rei and Takao. Rei had had to fly back to China the day after the Japanese Nationals and prepare for his departure to the tournament. Takao on the other hand…Takao had decided to sleep in and nearly make their plane late.

The first hitch in her day had occurred when just before leaving the runway she had made a little discovery that her monthly visitor decided to show up a little earlier than usual. Although she had been prepared, she was in no mood to put up with the stabbing pains taking over her stomach and head, as well as the constant teasing and baiting from Takao.

The next four hours and thirty minutes on the plane passed without much event, until Chaya happened to get airsick and spent the better part of the first half of the flight locked in one of the small bathrooms in the back. The problem doubled itself when she tried to get out of the washroom and was unable to un-jam the door. What turned out to be a pleasantly quiet trip for the team was a harrowing experience for the flight attendants who had to battle through the throngs of other people rushing to the bathroom to get Chaya out of the small, cramped area.

Once they finally managed to extricate her from the bathroom and she had endured endless teasing from her brother and Takao she had spent as much time as she could stand on the various items in her carry-on bag which included a Chinese cultural guide, the books that Alan had told her about the week before and the homework that she would need on the trip.

Daitenji-san was no fool. The week before, right after the national tournament, he had had all five of the competing beybladers as well as Kyoujiu who would be coming with them as their chief beyblade-repairman sign their contracts which included agreeing to at least thirty-five hours of study a week. He had contacted all of their schools with requests of the assignments for the month as well as material that would be on their final exams at the end of the year. He had told them quite plainly that although they were part of the team, they would be learning just like any normal students…except at a faster pace without much guidance. Although Daitenji-san had dabbled in the teaching arts in one of his early careers, he had made it known to them that he refused to stand over them about their homework and that they were responsible enough to do it themselves. Failure to comply included suspension from the team, which none of them wanted.

Of course, to top everything off, once they had arrived in Hong Kong for their connecting flight and bathroom breaks, Daitenji-san decided to drop the bomb on them that their flight to Xining where the Chinese tournaments were being held was delayed and that they wouldn't be seeing their luggage until the next day.

Which left Chaya at the disadvantage of all of her toiletries in her suitcase which was probably half way to Xining right about now.

'And that is very not good news for me,' she thought miserably as the old man asked the boys cheerfully if they wanted to go get some egg rolls, to which there was a resounding shout of 'yes!'. 'Very, very not good news…'

The group was herded onto a large intercity bus that Daitenji-san had ordered for them. Although it stretched over the distance of at least twenty seats, most of the team with the exception of Kai, who resided over the back area with a threatening ease, sat in the front staring out of each window at the sights of the city. Despite her current deplorable mood, Chaya had never been more excited in her life. Hong Kong was just as busy and interesting as it looked when she saw it in movies or in those travel documentaries. And as much as she wanted to, she couldn't help the giddy feeling of being on a movie set.

The hotel they were staying at was more of a bed and breakfast located in the back alleys of Hong Kong. Chaya had been comment sarcastically about how Daitenji-san seemed to have gone 'all out' for accommodations but stopped herself when she saw how quaint the place was itself. It was run by a middle-class family by the name of Zhang, the wife of whom cheerfully led them to their rooms chattering non-stop in Cantonese with a few broken words in English. Her teenaged son was with her, interpreting everything he could which Chaya, Max and Kyoujiu then translated for the others. Although confused at why the only other language the woman seemed to know was English, Chaya quickly remembered that there were countless tourists from North America and other English speaking countries; it would be the only language that really mattered for older people to learn.

The rooms that had been chosen for them were adjoining with a bed in each small room, a small living area and a bathroom. Ornate carpets adorned the floors and were accompanied by the smell of spice and potpourri. Outside of the living area was a balcony opening out onto the streets of Hong Kong.

Takao burst passed her into the bedroom areas and looked all around. Max followed in his lead, hurrying to the glass doors that led to the balcony and pressing his face up against it. "Everyone looks like ants from up here!"

"That's because they are ants Max," Kyoujiu laughed as he settled himself comfortably into one of the chintz pillows in the living area. "That's the floor of the balcony that you're looking at. You have to actually go outside to see over it."

"That bed's perfect for a pillow fort!" Takao called, opening the door of one of the adjoining rooms and pointing at the bed.

He prepared himself to take a running leap for the bed, but found himself being pulled back roughly and on the receiving end of one of Kai's glares.

"Will you learn to grow up?" he scorned, not letting Takao go even as the younger boy tried fruitlessly to escape him. The others formed a small circle around the two, watching curiously. "This isn't playtime, remember?"

"Why don't you try smiling, Hiwatari, or are you just afraid your face will crack?" Takao quipped.

"Hm…?" the slate-haired teenager looked momentarily surprised, and this was reflected when he inadvertently loosened his grip on the back of Takao's shirt. The younger teen broke free, launching himself and landing on the bed with a muffled thump.

"I hereby name this bed Fort Naptime!" he cheered, grabbing the pillow and tossing it at Max, who laughed and chucked it back.

The blond boy noticed Kai's unimpressed look and sent him an apologetic smile, although his words didn't reflect it, "You're such a wet blanket. Loosen up a little and have some fun! Takao's got the right idea!" And with that he too launched himself at the bed and wrestled Takao into a headlock, laughing loudly when his friend mock begged him to let him go.

"And what's the right idea? To act like an idiot?" Chaya deadpanned as she crossed her arms, glaring at them in annoyance. "Because you're doing a great job."

Beside her Kai mumbled something under his breath about not being a babysitter. She wasn't the only one to hear it, as Takao soon pretended to whine and make babyish noises as Max giggled. His eyes glinted brazenly at his team captain. "Wah, wah! Could you get us some soda and chocolate bars and then could you wead us a stowy pwease?"

"Wise guys," Kai grumbled, turning to go into the other room.

Chaya rolled her eyes. "Real mature – hey, cut it out! Glacier-boy over there is only trying to be a good captain and you're acting like spoiled brats. Why don't you grow up!"

"Whoa, what crawled up your butt and died?" Max asked as he rolled over on his stomach to survey his sister.

"Nothing!" she barked, slamming the door in their faces and stalking towards her carry-on bag which had been left in the area. Kyoujiu was typing away at his laptop as usual, not paying any attention and Kai was nowhere to be seen, probably enjoying the little bit of quiet he was getting alone in his room. Looking around embarrassedly, she picked through her bag, mournfully surveying her dwindling supply of pads.

'I'm so fucked it's not even funny,' she thought mournfully, raking her hands distractedly through her bangs. 'Not only am I stuck with an entire team of teenaged boys and one middle aged old coot in Hong Kong for another night without my stuff, but I don't speak a word of Chinese! Someone upstairs hates me.'

"Hey kids," Daitenji-san's voice was cheerful as he knocked and entered the suite. "Are you all ready for something to eat?"

From the one room, Max and Takao cheered loudly, and even Kyoujiu looked up in relief from his laptop. Feigning a pleasant smile Chaya nodded, deciding she'd somehow find a way out of her predicament. Maybe there'd be one of those vendors in the bathrooms if she were lucky…

Which she wasn't.

'Someone upstairs hates me even more…'

And she was becoming increasingly angry. Not even the amazing spread of Chinese dishes managed to perk up her attitude, even though she did eat her share of stir-fry and noodles. So far this trip was a total low, she thought angrily, and it's going to get worse if I don't find some chocolate to dull the blow…

After about and hour of the boys stuffing their faces and acting like immature idiots, the group sat back around the table to just relax for a few moments. It was nearly six o'clock in the evening and although it was early, Chaya was sure that she wasn't the only exhausted member of the team there.

"Mm, I can't feel my toes," Takao complained good-naturedly from his place across from her.

"I won't have to eat for a week now," Max added while Kyoujiu nodded silently.

"I'll bet there's no room left for tea," a familiar voice said slyly as a figure bent over Takao's cup, pouring some steaming hot liquid into it.

"I'll take that be – whoa!" Takao jumped when he realized that it was none other than their friend Rei serving them. "What – how – Rei!"

Chaya gaped while her brother and Kyoujiu stuttered out their realization. Beside her Kai didn't make a move to even acknowledge his teammate, which made her wonder whether he had noticed Rei there the entire session. She would normally have noticed his presence, even if the dark blue uniform with the Mandarin collar did throw her off a little.

"You guys should really pay better attention to your waiters," the Chinese boy chided, grinning cheekily. "I mean, I was serving you all night! I'm expecting a nice tip, just so you know…"

"Don't tell me you've given up beyblading for cleaning dishes," Takao teased. "Oh wait, I get it! You've got a thing for soy!"

"I work here on weekends for extra cash," Rei explained, thumping Takao over the head good-naturedly. "There's a lot of amateur beyblading action around here and I can practice when I want."

"Sounds like fun," Chaya commented. "But I imagine there's not much competition."

"Well, like I said. Practice," Rei shrugged.

"He _is_ part of the team, right?" Takao asked Daitnji, looking as though he was just making sure. The grey old man nodded, chortling at Takao as he explained how integral Rei was to the group.

"Well at least one of us can cook," she said decidedly. "I mean…I burn water, that's how bad I am." The boys laughed at her and Rei excused himself for a few minutes to change out of his waiter's uniform. "Yeah, I pity the poor guy who marries me. He'd better be able to cook or we'll both starve or be eating pancakes every meal."

"Is that true?" Takao guffawed, directing his question at Max.

"Unfortunately," the blond boy replied. "Believe you me; I'm the one that always had to eat all of the burned cookies she's ever attempted."

"Max!"

"What? It's the truth!"

"What'd I miss?" Rei had returned and took a seat across from Daitenji-san, tying his red bandana tighter around his forehead, reaching up to straighten out the form of the yin-yang in the middle.

Takao snorted. "That Chaya can't cook."

Thankfully, Rei didn't tease her, and Daitenji-san decided that now was as good a time as any to explain the rules regarding the Asian tournament. Chaya's directives were easy, considering as a solo blader all she had to do was show up and compete against any other soloist that the tournament put her up against, eventually making it to the finals if she could stand it. The team would have three bladers competing, as well as one spare which she was informed would be her as she was the registered soloist. The team with the most points would obviously win, depending on what type of battle it was.

"Hold on a minute and let me get this straight," Kai interrupted, surprising Chaya so much that she jumped and put her elbow in the dish of left-over butter. "I can win all of my match-ups but we don't advance unless the rest of this brat-pack wins?"

Daitenji frowned. "Yes, everything but the 'brat' part. Remember, Hiwatari-san, there's no 'I' in team."

"Well sorry," the oldest member of the team replied, pulling back his chair and standing. "There's no 'Kai' in team either."

"That's the corniest line I ever heard," Chaya accused him, furiously rubbing the butter from her skin. "What the hell is your problem? If you were going to back out, why didn't you do it before we flew into another country?"

"Come, no, we're a team," Daitenji attempted.

"A team with these jokers?" Kai sneered, gesturing to the others and ignoring their outbursts of ignorance. "I've had it up to here with your team. I don't even know why I agreed to this in the first place."

And without listening to the protests of Max or Takao he strode from the room, heading towards the exit of the building. Chaya glared at his back, trying to figure out why they were putting up with a jerk like Kai who had a chip on his shoulder the size of Madagascar.

While Daitenji tried to convince them not to judge Kai so harshly, which in turn led to an argument about why he was even on their team, Chaya frowned thoughtfully, remembering for the first time in hours about her decision to learn more about bitbeasts. When she had asked Rei a week before whether he knew of any bitbeasts other than the ones he'd seen at the tournament he'd told her there were a lot of strange one's that he'd come across in the streets of China.

If that meant it was possible to find some answers here, than maybe she could begin her search in the streets of Hong Kong. And considering she was currently unable to say even a few simple phrases in Chinese, she might have to ask Rei's help…

"Hey Chays, you coming?" she looked up, noticing that the boys were already standing and Max was leaning in her face. "We're going to go look for Kai."

"Why?"

"Because he's a foreigner walking around in a foreign country?" her brother raised an eyebrow.

"So?"

"Well, he might get lost."

"But he was the one who walked out on us, why should we look for him?"

"What part of team aren't you getting?" Rei shook his head and sent her an amused smile.

She pouted, not really caring that much about being part of a team. She would rather return to the rooms and retire on the couch that she knew she'd end up sleeping on, but when she saw the hopeful looks on her teammates' faces, she sighed and stood up heavily. "Fine. But someone better buy me some chocolate later or you'll all be taking a crash course in launching a beyblade with your tongues."

(-)

After running around for a good half-hour with no ideas as to Kai's location, but plenty of suggestions from Chaya as to what do with him (fashioning a throw rug out of him being the most popular idea), Takao suggested trying to find him using Kyoujiu's laptop. This idea turned out to be a bomb initially, but they did end up running into some amateur beybladers who told Rei they had seen someone of Kai's description skulking around earlier and what direction he had gone in.

Unfortunately, this tip proved to be even more ineffectual. Minutes later the five of them were lost in the back alleys of Hong Kong, and Chaya's feet were beginning to smart as much as her stomach. She knew it was only a matter of time before she began to complain loudly and drive the others to want to commit murder. When she suggested just going back to the hotel she was met with resistance that they hadn't found Kai yet.

'Stupid Hiwatari,' she grumbled inwardly as the five teenagers collapsed on the back stairs of a restaurant for a breather. 'Even when he's not here he's pissing me off.'

"We should have taken the left on the main street," Rei was musing, glancing at Chaya. "Hey, you don't seem your usual cheerful self."

"Start making cracks about me not being in shape and I strangle you with the braid," she bit out. The Chinese boy looked momentarily shocked before raising his hands in defeat and backing away.

"He's got to be around here somewhere, Kyoujiu said, trying to keep the others motivated.

"I hope so," Takao moaned. "My legs are killing me!"

"I don't get it," Max said as he sat down next his sister. "Why would Kai rather roam the streets than be on our team?"

Rei shrugged. "He's a loner. He plays by his own rules. What can I tell you? Some Beybladers think there's no room for fun in the sport. They get all deep and mystical on you. It's a drag."

"And Kai's a drag, so glad we established that, can we go back to the hotel now?" Chaya grumbled. "And civilization?"

"Chays' has a point," Max said, looking apologetic that he was complaining. "I'm willing to bet a box of fried noodles Kai's sitting in the hot springs back at the hotel."

"I take that bet," Chaya shook her head. "Hiwatari doesn't seem like the hot-tub type."

The others laughed when Max sent her annoyed look, but their laughter was stopped suddenly when Rei held up a hand, his face drawn into a look of deep concentration. Chaya noticed the tensing of his shoulders and arms as though he was completely focused on whatever it was, and for a moment she thought she saw his ear twitch.

"What's up?" Takao broke the silence, and Rei's concentration.

The Chinese boy shook his head dismissively. "Chill; I thought I heard something." The rest of the group sent him inquiring looks. "Don't you hear it? A beyblade…spinning." Their incredulous looks intensified. "I'm not going crazy guys, at least not yet."

"Maybe it's Kai?" Max suggested, looking hopeful and somewhat apprehensive at the same time. "I mean, what other people do we know who go off to be alone to blade?"

"Then let's jet," Takao announced, gesturing with his hand for the others to follow him. Chaya moaned in pain, wanting nothing more than a nice painkiller and lots of sleep at the moment, and pushed herself heavily off of the stairs to follow the others. She ignored Takao and her brother egging her on and trying to make her run faster, muttering curses over and over under her breath.

The next time any one of them suggested going anywhere, she'd mutilate them and use them for beyblade parts…or feed them to her psychotic bitbeast, whatever idea popped into her head and –

Without warning, she whirled around, crouching into a defensive position as she surveyed the dark alley around her. The familiar cold feeling was seeping through her entire body at the same time as the sense of being watched hit her. The hair on the back of her neck and arms raised, and she could feel her blood pumping with unnatural electricity.

The sounds from the boys had faded into the distance as they delved deeper into the back alleys and although she felt a certain fear of being all alone in a dark alley, something wouldn't let her move. It was almost as though a part of her was waiting for something specific…

"Hey Chays, you okay?" she barely took note of her brother returning, tugging insistently on her arm. "Come on, we have to go, someone's – aahh!"

There was a loud clash as a steel dish was tossed from one direction, landing in the dust by their feet and spinning for a mere moment in the ground. No sooner had it registered that there was a dish before them there was the sound of a ripcord being pulled back and suddenly there was a blade rotating stealthily around the dish.

Chaya blinked, the first to recover.

"That's not Kai's blade," she murmured needlessly.

"No, but it's a challenge," she heard Rei say, coming up behind her. She could sense by his voice that he was on guard, ready to get defensive and tensed up. Her imagination played out endless scenarios of a possible street fight occurring, but when the figure emerged from the shadows, she relaxed somewhat, feeling foolish.

"Well, well," the boy said in English. Although he spoke with a Chinese accent, she was sure it was one that was not from around this area. "What do we have here?"

"Obviously some guy who thinks he can scare us," Chaya retorted, wincing when Rei jabbed her in the shoulder.

"Pipe down. You don't go mouthing off in the streets unless you know you can win."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," she said sarcastically. "I'd actually care about that little piece of information if this kid was really something to worry about. But considering he's not the one who's been hiding around here stalking us, I'm not worrying."

Rei sent her a look that plainly said 'what the hell are you talking about?', while the stranger chose to speak up, coming forward so that the small amount of light in the alley-way illuminated him. Long black hair and angry black eyes that glared at them, he was little more than a few inches shorter than Rei, and he wore gray street clothes. "People are saying you guys can really blade."

"Just a rumor," Max coughed, sounding a little nervous. Chaya groaned, remembering that her brother wasn't exactly the best liar in the world. "Actually, we're here for a bridge tournament, so…" he began pushing Takao and Kyoujiu back towards the way they had come. Before he had managed two steps that stranger had taken a running leap, landing in front of Max and settling himself in a stance that suggested he wanted to fight.

Max fell back in surprise at the sudden cutting off of his exit. Chaya knelt down to help him up, glaring at the kid as he pulled a pair of nunchucks and began to twist them about in front of them expertly.

"Ooh, a wind mill," Rei said in a low, scornful tone that Chaya had never heard before. "Do any other impressions?"

"Oh, sure, but I'm not half as good as you," the kid replied, stopping the weapons but remaining in a threatening position. "Impersonating a team of beybladers? Stick around, you are not going anywhere until we battle."

"W-we fight in the arena, like proper professionals do," Kyoujiu squeaked in a tight voice. "Not in some dark and stinking old back alleyway."

There was a mocking noise from the boy as he whipped his nunchucks out again. With a groan of annoyance, both at their situation and at the rather painful twinge of her stomach, Chaya abandoned the group for a moment, grabbing a crate and sitting down, clenching her fists both in anger and irritation.

It was obvious that they weren't going anywhere, especially when the kid sent a second beyblade flying from his nunchucks which turned out to be his launcher. It figured that this freak had some more freakish surprises, she thought with another groan.

She was going to kill Hiwatari that was for sure.

The others were too engrossed in their current trash-talking to even notice that she was just watching it from the shadows like a spectator, what with Takao and Rei arguing about who got to face off against the weird kid in pajamas. In fact, they had probably not even noticed the shadowed presence hiding behind the alleyway. It was the same presence that held within it a hint of familiarity that Chaya couldn't quite put her finger on.

Takao finally won out on Rei and before she could blink, Takao and the stranger were going at it, their blades ripping up the dish. Chaya put her head in her hands, massaging the bridge of her nose furiously, her thoughts only on one goal: returning to the hotel and taking a bath for so long that her skin would get pruny. After she found some chocolate, of course.

Her head was pounding, more from the stress and stench of the back alley than anything else. Not that the shouts of Takao and the others weren't aiding and abetting her pounding head. She could practically hear the pumping of her blood above all else, and it just made things even worse.

There was a flash of light and she looked up in time to see the dragon bitbeast, Dragoon, emerge for a moment, before the stranger's blade was out of the dish. She hadn't even seen any of the battle and it was over already. The kid dropped to his knees, groaning in defeat, and her spirits lifted.

Did this mean that they could go now?

Rei, Max and Kyoujiu set about to congratulate Takao, who lapped up every bit of it, as usual. She got off of the crate, allowing the jester grin to fall into place as she approached the team, ready to congratulate and then ask to go. She had barely walked to feet, though, before there was the sound of a blade launching and steel hitting steel. Whirling around she saw that another blade had appeared from nowhere, hitting the dish and knocking Takao's beyblade out so hard that it went sailing in Rei's direction.

Moments before it hit him, there was a muffled _clang_ as something changed its direction and the blade went sailing back into Takao's hands. From one dark corner of the alley, the crimson eyed captain of the team sidled into view, catching Dranzer in one hand with ease, his eyes not leaving the team.

Chaya glared up to where the beyblade had come from. On top of one of the low-lying roofs she could make out a crouched figure. What disturbed her about this was that she hadn't even noticed him there. And yet she could still feel the presence of the other voyeur still hidden. There was one more person that would need to reveal themselves, she was sure.

"Kai," Rei nodded, allowing a small smile to tug at the corners of his mouth.

"Took ya long enough," Chaya muttered, her eyes flashing towards the corner where she knew the other person was hiding. Deciding that it wasn't that important right now, she turned to Max and pretended to grin. "Looks like you lost your bet, Maxie, pay up.:"

"Hey, for all we know, he could have been back at the hotel," her brother replied defensively.

"Yeah, but in the hot tub?"

"Hey Kai, where were you?" Takao asked.

"None of your business."

"Come on, tell us where you were, Shellfish," the Japanese blader demanded, angered. "We were worried and out looking for you."

Kai sent him a withering glare. "Unless you have a death wish, don't call me that again." He sent the rest of them wearied looks. "The only reason I'm here is because you brats need serious training."

A sudden chuckling noise interrupted them and everyone glanced up to the low-roof, trying to determine its origin. The voice spoke in Cantonese with a mocking lilt that made the nunchuck kid cry out in reply. Chaya glanced at Rei hurriedly, hoping to glean some reaction from him as to what was going on, but he merely stared impassively on, looking as though he was trying to figure something out for himself. He seemed to react visibly to something the defeated kid said back, and Chaya found her ears perking up to a two words that she knew she recognized: _Bai__ Hu._

The kid leapt down from the rafters of the roof, landing in the shadows where he remained shadowed to everyone. He continued talking in Cantonese to the kid, who look terrified for a moment before picking up his blade and running off.

Facing the stunned team, the newcomer appeared from the shadows. He was a short boy with dark hair that looked green in the little light the alleys provided, his almost violet eyes regarding the group insolently. He wore a light blue torn haori and shorts, as well as a pair of boots where they could see a beyblade launcher stashed and a bag slung around his shoulder. His gaze was fixed solely on Rei. He said something malevolent that their friend growled at.

"What's up here? Hey Rei, do you know this guy?" Takao asked.

Their Chinese team-mate didn't reply, but continued to stare down the newcomer. Then, with a smirk he suddenly switched to English. "I can see you've made some new friends…you their babysitter?"

Chaya narrowed her eyes. So now they were being egged on by a little. "Pipe down, bathrobe-boy, or you'll be feasting on a knuckle sandwich. I'm not someone you should be screwing with, especially not today."

"Oh? What are you going to do?" he looked her over, the smirk widening.

"Well, if you stop staring at my chest for a second you can watch me kick your ass. And I can do that blade wise or physically, it's your choi – " She felt her words cut off as she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up at Rei in confusion she noticed his closed expression.

"Leave it. Just…leave it."

"Why?" Max demanded, glaring over at the newcomer. "He's the one that fired his blade at us."

"I think he was spying," Kyoujiu said. "Trying to figure out how to beat our team – which I find rather offensive."

"Hey, out here there are no rules and I can do what I want!" the kid responded.

"Enough!" Rei's voice was rough as he silenced the boys, crossing his arms as he looked over at the younger blader. "Kiki, what's the big idea bustin' in on us like that?"

"That's Ken-zhi to you, you traitor, only my friends can call me that!" the kid snarled, looking angry.

"Hey, would you mind filling us in on who your little buddy is?" Takao griped, although he was completely ignored by Rei.

"Answer me!" Rei demanded. "Why are you still here? Are you still with the Bai Hu team? And you were spying on us?"

"The who?" Takao blinked.

"Wait, that name sounds familiar," Max said, sending Chaya a calculating look. She nodded. She knew she had heard of them before, although she couldn't think of where.

"Wait a second," Kyoujiu cried. "You're that team that entered the finals late. I read about you on the BBA tournament schedules. Bai Hu – wait, isn't that Chinese for White Tiger?"

"The White Tiger team," Chaya groaned. "I knew I'd heard of you. Your village name was mentioned in the book I'm reading about bitbeasts. It said you have some of the most powerful."

"Well, if you heard of us than I think we should battle…to see if you're worthy of the knowdlege," the kid smirked, rummaging in his bag for a moment.

"We don't have time for this," Rei scoffed. "Remember? The last time we fought you didn't stand a chance."

The kid grimaced. "That was a long time ago! Check out my new blade."

Rei shook his head, a wan smile on his face. "Would you quit trying to act so tough? Your blade might be different but you sure aren't."

"You're the one who's acting, Kon," the kid spat. "Ever since you ditched the Bai Hu I've heard you haven't won one match!"

Rei looked about to comment, but suddenly Ken-zhi whirled around to face the dark back of the alley. Out of the shadows appeared the boy from before, looking a little resigned. He said something to Ken-zhi, who responded angrily, but was cut off by his regretful sounding companion. A look akin to shock registered on his face as from behind the boy appeared a girl.

Chaya blinked in her direction, taking in the slim frame and golden eyes. A scarf was draped though her cerise coloured hair in such a way that it made her look as though she had cat-ears. She snapped at Ken-zhi angrily and he froze, looking like a deer caught in the headlights."Mao…"

She continued to yell at him, and Chaya groaned, unable to understand what was going on. "Who the hell are you people! And what's with the neon hair, you adverting for a restaurant or something?"

"What was that?" the girl demanded in English, facing Chaya expectantly. "I don't know who you are, but butt out of this. I'll deal with you once I've chastised this little creep." As though her words were a jinx the boy jumped upwards into the roofs of the alleys, glancing over his shoulder to make faces at the assembled teenagers.

"Hey! Get back here you little brat!" Mao yelled, and then let off a string of words in Cantonese that made Rei turn red and stare at her in shock.

"Mao…" he began, but she silenced him with a look.

"I don't get this!" Takao yelled in frustration. "Who the heck are you people!"

"Why don't you tell us who you are?"

"We asked first," Chaya snapped.

"So?"

"So you have to answer first."

"Nice try."

"You wanna to play games?"

"Maybe." The two girls glared at each other angrily, while Rei stepped forward in a way to tell Chaya to back off.

"Mao, what are you doing here? I thought…"

"We're going to be in the tournament," the golden-eyed girl said in a guarded tone. "Got a problem with that? You know, considering you're not the only blader around, traitor."

"Why did the Bai Hu clan allow you to enter? They never allow outside tournaments, so why now?"

"Things have changed since you abandoned us. We're going to win this whole thing without you – and don't you dare come crawling back to us when we've won!"

Rei looked at her in confusion, and Takao stepped forward. "It looks like they want you back, Rei. They're trying to split us up before we even have a chance to compete."

"And it's not going to happen," Chaya crossed her arms and sent Mao a challenging look. "So back off pinky before I have to get physical – and today that means fists, honey."

"Yeah, right, you and what army?"

"Me and my good friend Madam Steel-Toed-Boot!"

"Hey, why don't you let Rei decided, huh? I mean, considering he mastered the speaking ability before you did." They glared again and then looked at Rei expectantly.

Rei looked between the two angry girls and swallowed. "Uh…"

"Rei, she's trying to get you back! If you go against us now – "

"Would you please make your mind up?" Mao rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "Today? Or are you going to let your little bootlicker decide for you?"

Chaya narrowed her eyes. "Repeat that. I dare you."

"Okay. 'Are you going to let your little bootlicker – "

Finally letting go of the rational side that had been keeping her from slugging everyone at once, Chaya made to leap at the Chinese girl, who hissed and moved to counter her. The two of them never made it to each other as Rei jumped between the two of them to stop them, gaining a few bruises and scratches in the process as they tried fruitlessly to grab each other. "Enough!"

"Is that Rei's voice I hear?" a fourth voice interrupted and the team stood by as another two strangers appeared behind Mao. The first was a rather robust boy with a slightly vacant expression and powerful build. His eyes were narrowed in a concentrating look although he didn't look particularly bright; beside him stood the shorter teen, the one who had spoken. A wild mane of black hair fell over his back and his eyes were dark with something like controlled rage. The expression on his face was one of intense dislike.

"Hey there, Lai," Mao said when she noticed him. He didn't reply.

The newcomer stepped forward, slowly coming closer and closer to Rei. "So. Rei. Long time no see."

"…Yeah." Rei sounded a little doubtful as he surveyed the person from his past. His old team-mate, Chaya reminded herself.

"I didn't come here to cause trouble," Lai said, sizing up Rei. He paused, and then looked him squarely in the eye. "Alright?"

"Sure," Rei narrowed his eyes.

Lai turned his attention to the team behind Rei. "So, why don't you introduce your friends. They seem to be nice enough – that is, for a bunch of amateurs."

"What was that?" Rei snapped in a controlled voice, taking offence at the comment.

"I doubt their worth our time," Mao commented snidely.

Chaya sent her a rude gesture. "You are getting to the end of your tether, sister. Back off before I snap it."

"Let's get out of here," Lai scoffed in disgust, motioning for his team to leave the alley.

"Hey." To everyone's surprise Kai's voice echoed from the shadows, and when they looked, his blade and launcher were held ready in his hands and pointed at Lai. "Up 'til now you and your team have done nothing but talk tough. Can you back it up in the stadium?"

Lai studied Dranzer for a moment, taking in the tight grasp Kai had on his launcher and then snorted. "I don't think so. You know, I would, but the Bai Hu has a code to follow.

"You backing down?" Kai stipulated.

Lai scoffed. "Yeah, right."

They turned to leave, piling back around the corners and into the shadows. Mao stopped before she left and sent Kai an appraising look. "What about me?"

Kai put down his blade and sent her an unimpressed look. "Sorry kid, but you're the one I've got a problem with." Raising one of her eyebrows, the girl clicked her blade together and sent it attacking the dish. "Hey, I already said I'm not intereste – oh!"

The team watched in amazement as her blade seemed to jump all over the dish in criss-cross motions, before leaping back into her hands. She smirked at Kai. "Is it because you're scared me?"

"No," he glared at her defiantly, unimpressed with her show.

"Maybe you're scared 'cause I'm a girl," she went on.

"Oh, man, I hate when they treat us like the weaker sex," Chaya shook her head grimly, more to herself than anyone else.

Mao snorted. "Tell me about it."

"Wow! Hey Hiwatari, look at this!" Takao exclaimed, bending over the dish. The entire group glanced at it as it suddenly burst into fragments and fell to the ground. Its edges gleamed sharp where they had been slashed by the Chinese girls' blade.

Chaya gaped. "Nice shot."

"Ya think?" Mao pondered, tilting her head to one side. "I don't know, they're a little rough."

"Nope. Clean shots," Chaya told her. Then she narrowed her eyes when she realized who she was talking to. "You'd better keep them sharp for the next time we meet."

"Oh, I intend to," Mao smirked. "Your blade will be a nice change in toys for me."

Mao slipped behind the corner, following her friends. They heard her voice in its retreating. "Catch you later, Rei! And remember! This isn't over yet!"

For a moment the team remained stationary and silent as they tried to realize that they were alone again. Chaya was not the only one that sent inquiring glances in Rei's direction, and after a few moments he simply turned in the opposite direction that the Bai Hu team had gone in and began to lead them back out of the alleys.

The others began to follow him, but Chaya paused for a moment. The strange presence was gone. Although she had felt it for the entire duration of when the Bai Hu team had been hanging around, it had now disappeared so swiftly and silently as though it had never been there.

Strange.

(-)

"So…does anyone want to get some dinner or something?" Max offered hesitantly, trying to break the suffocating silence that had descended on the entire team. Kyoujiu looked up at the blond boy and then blinked.

"You know? Now that you mention it? I'm really starved. Maybe we could go back to the hotel and order in?"

"I like that idea," Max grinned. "We could charge it to Daitenji-san– I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

Kyoujiu and Max began to chat nervously about what they;d order and Chaya felt a note of sympathy for them as they tried to eradicate the awkward silence. Beside her, Takao was staring at the ground as he walked, while Rei seemed to be staring off into space.

Kai had passed them all a while back and was walking at a steady pace a couple of yards ahead of them.

Takao suddenly stopped walking and looked towards the Chinese blader. "Hey, uh, Rei? Why did Mao call you a traitor back there?"

There was a pause and Rei too stopped walking, turning to look Takao straight in the eyes. For a moment he looked as though he was struggling with what to say, and then sighed. "Because I am."

Takao and Max gaped at him and then the Japanese boy spoke tentatively. "You're – you're not serious, are you?"

Chaya waited for Rei's response, noting the look on his face that made him seem as though he was battling with something within. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a low, cold voice from ahead of them. Kai was standing before them looking impassive, his arms crossed in his usual 'don't-touch-me' stance as he sent them all looks daring to question what he'd just said. "Why don't you just leave him alone? It's none of our business. And…we've got enough to worry about."

And without another word, he continued on his lone walk.

Chaya put her hands on her hips in a gesture of annoyance. "Hey Kai, come back here!" When the older teen ignored her, she sighed. "There goes Mr. Sensitive."

"So what's bugging him?" Kyoujiu asked.

"He's obviously ticked about the pink-haired freak showing him up," Chaya shrugged, continuing to watch Kai at a distance. There was a long silence as the other members of the team joined her, when all of a sudden –

"Who's up for some dim sum!" Takao yelled, making Max and Kyoujiu jump in surprise and let out shocked yells.

"Takao!" Max shouted indignantly after he recovered himself.

Kyoujiu looked more surprised than angry. "Would you mind telling me what the was for?"

"Well, we were starting to get a little serious there," Takao said, twiddling his thumbs sheepishly. "and besides, we can't fight on an empty stomach."

Max shrugged. "I guess you're right."

"But what about Kai?" Kyoujiu asked.

"Well," Chaya grinned. "Remember my throw-rug idea?"

Takao's answer was cut off by a loud chuckle, and finally a hearty laugh. The four of them looked over to Rei, who was laughing so hard he might have fallen over if he hadn't reached out to Max to steady himself. After almost a full minute of his hysterical laughing, he finally calmed down and beamed at Takao and Chaya.

"Thanks," he said. "I haven't laughed like that in a long time."

"Uh…sure," Chaya made a face.

"So we're still a team?" Max asked, making sure.

"You bet," Ray nodded, a simple smile appearing on his face. Takao let out a laugh like a bark, punching Rei playfully on the shoulder before turning in Kai's direction and cupping his hands over his mouth so that he could holler.

"Hey Hiwatari! Get back here! You're part of this team too, ya know! Whether you're like it or not!" his voice was loud, attracting attention from passers-by. "Come on, buddy, you can't ignore us for a whole month!"

Chaya began to laugh, and then stopped when she clued into something Takao had said.

'Month?' she blinked and then yelped. "Shit!"

The boys turned to her, noticing her suddenly pale face. Max looked at her anxiously. "Chays, are you alright?"

"Uh…" she murmured, trying to figure out her next step. This was an emergency, and she really would regret it if she didn't do something about it quickly. Takao, Max, Kyoujiu and Rei regarded her with worry, waiting for her to say something. Her eyes rested on Rei for a moment and she suddenly remembered…Rei could speak Chinese and knew his way around this town.

Without another minute to lose she had grabbed Rei and yanked him off towards the main street. "Sorry, Rei, but I really need your help!" She turned her head a little as she ran, facing the shocked looks of the other three boys. "We'll meet you a the hotel! See you later!"

"Chaya…!" Rei was muttering out loud, his voice laced with confusion as their feet slapped the ground.

She didn't bother replying, busy trying to formulate how she was supposed to go about telling Rei what she needed help with…

* * *

I figured I'd go a little more original and a little less series, both with the events and the humour. So sue me, but I think this makes it a little more normal and not so scripted…  
Welcome to Chaya's bad moods...maybe you now know partially my bad moods and the reason for my rants. Chaya is channeling me for now... 

Kuriness


	9. Chapter Eight

**_The Underdog Syndrome_**

**Author**: KuriQuinn

**Title**: The Underdog Syndrome

**Fandom**: Beyblade

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Beyblade, but if I did I'd probably be rich and still reading fanfiction. I own Chaya and any characters that you don't recognize excepting Miyami, who belongs to my best friend, Mags.

**Pairing**: I'll never tell…

**Rating**: PG-13 for language

**Summary**: A teen with heavy emotional baggage is suddenly thrown back into the world of beyblading, only to be thrown a series of lives curveballs a day at a time.

**Takes Place:** Series

**Note:** Part of this chapter is curtsey, once again, of my best friend Mags.

* * *

October 31, 2001 

"I hope you know how much you owe me for yesterday," Rei mumbled under his breath to Chaya as the team made their way through the airport, searching for their gate. "And I mean really owe me."

"Aw, was your masculinity threatened?" Chaya asked mockingly, not really caring how much of a bitch she was acting like. "Just because you had to help me buy a few p–"

"Hey, come on guys, hurry up!" Takao practically bellowed in their ears as he ran by, grinning at them. "Or are you having one of those lovers' quarrels?"

"I'm about to have a quarrel, buddy, and it will be anything but loving," the blond snapped, her eyes narrowing in a glare so reminiscent of Kai that Takao gulped and laughed nervously. He quickly hurried on ahead, followed by a confused looking Max and Kyoujiu and Kai, who looked as emotionless as ever. Daitenji-san remained far behind, negotiating something with some unknown man.

Their flight would be leaving in twenty-five minutes, after which there would be no time to even rest before their bus in Xining, Qinghai drove them to the Asian tournaments, which were being held about an hours journey from the city. No one knew if they would be battling on the first day of the tournament, which made it important that they reach the stadium in time. Luckily for Chaya, as the solo representative, her matches didn't begin until the weekend, but she knew that when they reached the tournament that her curiosity would be the only thing keeping her at the arena to cheer on the team. Probably not even that.

Since the meeting with Bai Hu team the day before, Chaya's interests had been peaked concerning bitbeasts. She had stayed up late the night before pouring over the books Alan had sent her to find the passage about the Bai Hu team that she had skimmed over before. It was only a small paragraph about them holding some ancient bitbeasts, but it had given her the first real clue as to where to begin looking. So far all she knew about bitbeasts came from her experience and from the other book she had read first. That one had stated that bitbeasts were spirits with immeasurable force that could be encased in bit-clips and used in the spot of beyblading. It had also sited all of the unexplained phenomena in the present and past that bitbeasts were supposedly linked to. This had made her consider paranormal activity, something that had caught her interest, even though she wasn't sure how deep the ties between it and bitbeasts could go.

"KINOMIYA TAKAO!"

Chaya's thoughts were interrupted by the loud, demanding voice that shattered the calm of the airport, and she, along with the rest of the team looked up towards where the voice had come from.

Marching through the crowd was a young girl, no older than Chaya, an expression of dire anger upon her face. She wore a pair of biking shorts and an off-white tee-shirt that hung low, fastened by a thick brown belt that matched her hiking boots. Chains made of safety pins, links and fake-looking jewels hung down her neck and a navy-blue bandana was fastened over her head of dyed silvery blue hair. A backpack was slung over her shoulder.

The closer she came to Takao, the bigger her scowl became; a pair of angry, flashing eyes glaring pointedly at him.

With an audible gulp, Takao smiled somewhat sheepishly and stepped back a few paces, nearly walking into Max, who grunted as he got out of the way.

"_Konnichiwa_, _Ta-kun_," the mysterious girl said in a falsely sweet voice, her words flawless Japanese.

"Uhm…heh, heh…_itoko_…what's up?" Takao mumbled, sounding jumpy. As she took another step forward, Takao grabbed Max and positioned him in front of him, hiding from the glare that was being aimed directly at him. (1)

Through clenched teeth, she answered, "So far nothing but gas prices."

"Please don't hurt me," the Japanese boy squeaked as his friends looked on in puzzlement, although in Chaya's case, it was more of calculation.

The feeling from the previous day was back upon her and she realized right away that this girl had been the unknown presence hiding in the shadows, watching their match. What she didn't understand was the feeling of familiarity when she had never met this person before in her life.

"Oh, I won't 'hurt' you, no, I'll merely _kill_ you!" the newcomer barked angrily. "I was waiting for hours for you, ding-bat, and you never came to get me! Did you forget that we were supposed to meet at the Holiday Inn!"

"Uhm…"

Max frowned, looking between the two. "What is she talking about, Takao?"

"Oh, uh, didn't I tell you?" Takao laughed nervously, scratching his head. "Uh, she's coming with us."

"You didn't even have the decency to call me up and tell me you weren't coming!" the unknown continued to yell furiously. "I swear, Kinomiya Takao, I'll tear you limb from limb until I get a worthy apology! And even then, I'll still keep tearing – KYAAH!"

She dropped her backpack on the ground, leaping at Takao and grabbing the back of his shirt.

"_Onegai, _I swear I'll never do it again, just please don't kill me!" he squeaked, trying fruitlessly to escape the girls grip. "I wanna live to see graduation and the children I don't even know if I'll ever have! I don't wanna die so young!"

"You should have thought about that before you left me alone, wandering around Hong Kong!" she reached for him, but Takao managed to get free of her, hiding behind Chaya as the new girl was pinned by Rei and Max. Chaya was pulled out of her reverie of trying to figure out who this mysterious girl was, and quickly stepped away from Takao.

"Oh no you don't. If you're in trouble with a girl, you'll get out of it all by yourself…"

Takao looked over to the angry girl with a wince, listening to her spew anger in his direction ("Get over here you good for nothing brat! I'll stalk you until the day you die, even if it means following you into the bathtu – never mind – but I'll still come after you! I know where you live!) and then back at Chaya, pleading. "You understand girls a lot better than I do!"

"It's gonna cost you," she said matter-of-factly, regarding the stranger curiously. Now that she was staring right at her, there was something _very_ familiar about her, and it wasn't just the detached feeling of familiarity she had been getting since yesterday. Something about the girl's face made her mind try to make a connection, but she failed.

"Come on, I'll give you anything," Takao whined.

She looked back at him and pretended to buff her nails. "A crate of pocky."

A pregnant pause, before he coughed, "Done!"

"Hm…can I have that in writing?"

"Chaya!"

"Okay, okay," she rolled her eyes and turned back to the problem at hand, sizing her up. To her surprise, the girl's eyes had miraculously changed from the murderous crimson to slightly subdued silver, although she was still struggling against Rei and Max, who looked as though it was more than a burden trying to keep hold over her.

"Argh! Come on, just let me take off an arm!" she yelped, although she was met off with a unanimous 'no'. "Fine, how about a toe! He doesn't need all of 'em! Just let me have something!"

Chaya leaned forward so that she was standing directly in front of the angry girl. "Hi."

"Get out of my face, chic, or you'll be the next sliced and diced meal on the number nine combo – and I don't mean Macdonald's combos either!"

"Hey, hold it," Chaya said, holding up her arms in a way that was saying 'lay off'. "I'm just trying to play the peacemaker for once, okay? Now Takao does annoy me, but he's a really good blader and those guys need him on their team much as I'd like to bump him off and get in the game myself. Unfortunately for both of us, you're just going to have to let it go for now, okay?" when the girls expression became more filled with rage, Chaya leaned down and whispered so that only the two of them could hear, "Besides, he has to sleep sometime and he won't put up so much of a fuss."

The girl blinked for a moment and looked Chaya over, almost as though she was studying some kind of tangible good. Then she broke out into an evil grin. "I like you. Got a handle?"

"Chaya Tate, nice to meet you," the blond smirked, holding out her hand. She noticed that Miyami couldn't really shake her hand back, as she was being held from behind by Rei and Max. With a calculating glance, she said, "If you want out you have to promise you won't go after him for blood."

The girl sighed. "Deal."

The two boys doubtfully let her go. The girl paused for a moment, massaging her wrists before looking at Chaya, and then springing at Takao again; they immediately made a grab for her again, although Rei was the only one that managed to get a hold on her. He pulled her back with so much force that she fell backwards and into his arms, looking up at him unblinkingly. "No offence, kid, but I don't think you're going anywhere. If you're so desperate to bite and disembowel someone, I'll treat you to sushi or something."

"Hey, you may be cute, but that doesn't mean I'm going anywhere with you," the girl said brazenly. "Hells, boy, I don't even know your name!"

"I'm Kon Rei," the boy introduced himself. "Takao's friend and his official body guard, if you keep this up."

The girl laughed, letting her struggles stop. She put a hand on her hip and cocked her head to one side, glancing at Takao. "Well, Ta-kun, you're lucky you've got some great friends around you. Alright, people, start handin' out the name tags, 'cause I don't know any of ya – 'cept for Ta-kun, Rei-san and Chaya-san over there."

"Hold on, before we do any introductions, who the heck are you?" Chaya said holding up a hand. "And why were you following us yesterday?"

Now her team-mates stared at her in silent shock and confusion as she regarded the newcomer warily. This was the first they had heard of someone else being in the alley with them, and the fact that it was Chaya that had noticed it was slightly out of the ordinary. The girl raised her eyebrows. "And how would you know I was anywhere near you?"

Chaya opened her mouth to tell her how, and remembered that she really had no idea. With a sigh, she shook her head. "Forget it. Who are you?"

The girl looked at Chaya with obvious confusion, before shrugging and holding out her hand. "Kinomiya Mayume. I'm Takao's cousin," Chaya shook her hand. "My friends call me Miyami."

Chaya nodded, and suddenly it clicked. She stared up at Miyami, her jaw dropping in recognition. "Miyami...as in from the World Champion beyblade team Quick Sickness 'Miyami'?"

The silver-eyed girl allowed herself a half-hearted grin. "Uh, yeah. You heard of me?"

"Heard of you? You guys were my favourite team until you split up," Chaya cried, shaking Miyami's hand more forcefully. "You were a kick-ass blader!"

"Thanks," Miyami beamed, although she looked a little doubtful of Chaya's sanity. "Never thought I'd run into anyone that remembers me."

"Yeah, well, she's the only one that would remember you," Max sniggered. "I think she was your biggest rabid fan."

"Standing right here," Chaya said through gritted teeth. She nodded at him. "This is my brother Max."

The boy regarded Miyami doubtfully, as though wondering if she was going to attack him the way she had attacked Takao, and was more than surprised when she unrepentantly moved forward and pulled him into a hug. "Sorry 'bout freaking you out before. Takao shouldn't have been making you his human shield," she sent Takao a meaningful glare over Max's shoulder, and then looked between Max and Chaya. "You guys look exactly alike. Are you related or something?"

"Yeah," the said simultaneously.

"Twins," she nodded, her eyes setting on Kyoujiu. "And you?"

"Hagoshimi Kyoujiu," the bespectacled boy said, bowing his slightly.

"Cool." She pointed a finger towards Kai. "And the human freezer over there? Is he a in on this little shindig or part of the airport scenery?"

"Oh, that's just Kai, he's not important," Chaya explained. "He doesn't speak to people unless provoked and even then he manages to avoid it."

Miyami raised a challenging eyebrow, before strolling forward to Kai and holding out her hand. "Hi there!"

He didn't even acknowledge her hand before he turned away. "Hn."

The group of teenagers watched him retreat in silence, and Miyami shivered. "Nice to meet you too. Yeesh, it's like talking to part of the Arctic."

"Oh, then you should see him ticked off," Chaya suggested in a would-be innocent voice. "Just don't expect him to actually volunteer a conversation unless he's going to insult you."

"Hello there, kids." The appearance of Daitenji-san put an end to any other questions about Miyami, although the old man did acknowledge her. "I see you've met our travelling companion. I just finished the arrangements with your father, Kinomiya-san. You are in our care until the end of the Asian tournaments – and speaking of which, we should catch our plane before it leaves without us. I hope you all have your tickets ready."

There was a chorus of 'yes's' before Daitenji-san led them towards their terminal to get their passports checked. Chaya groaned and got her papers together, including their visas to guarantee passage into the city of Xining and the documents that had been signed by her father to give temporary custody of her and Max to Daitenji-san until later that month. Airport security was at its highest even here in China. Ever since the bombings of the Twin Tower in the United States the month before, airport security and other affairs had become slightly more difficult in certain areas.

"So let me get this straight," Rei was asking from behind Chaya. "You're staying with us. Why?"

"Well, originally I'd had tickets to be part of the audience," Miyami explained as the group moved through the line. Chaya watched jealously as Kai flashed something to the teller and he was let right through. Something about the guy freaked her out… "But my parents were busy and not to keen to let me go to China all alone, so it looked like I couldn't go. And then I got a phone call from Takao a week ago about him winning the Nationals and that he'd be there – Daitenji-san's an old crony of my ex-team and we called in a favour. So you guys are stuck with me for the next month."

"That's okay, we get our own cheerleader," Max's voice was teasing and Chaya grinned as she handed over her passport and documents for inspection.

"Hey, dude, watch whose skills to dis!"

"Oh come on, 'Yami, you couldn't blade your way out of a paper bag," Takao sniggered. "Everyone knows those exhibition matches were all flukes."

The girl was instantly riled again. "You wanna bet!"

"Uh…I don't have anything to bet with."

"I'll lend you some then!"

The bickering between the two cousins went on for the next ten minutes, following the team onto the plane and into their seats and escalating into a fight over seats. Because of Miyami's late arrival she had seats down the plane from the team, and kept sitting up and making funny faces at them from her place in business class, something Takao was trying to counter the entire way and succeeding in just annoying all of his seatmates.

Chaya groaned at thought of being stuck in a plane for another few hours, and slumped in her seat, glaring grumpily at Kai out of the corner of her eyes. He was sitting in his usual stance, eyes closed as though meditating, completely calm about the entire trip. Hiwatari was very good at ignoring people, Chaya thought needlessly. He had it down to an art.

'For goddess' sake, he's got his own stance,' she thought grimly, staring at him. An immature thought entered her head. 'How come he gets to be all peaceful when I have to put up with Max reaching over to poke me in the ribs every two seconds or Takao make jokes about me?'

Eyes narrowing, she reached over to poke him.

"Don't."

The word was cold and deadly, although when she looked at him Kai didn't look as though he had spoken at all. She paused in mid reach, and then harrumphed, making a face at him and sitting down in her seat.

Some fun this trip was going to be…

(-)

"Whoa! Get a load of this view!" Takao cried as he looked out the window of the large bus, taking in the greenery that surrounded them as the team drove from Caojiapu Airport. The morning was bright and cheerful, surrounding the bus with its storybook perfection as it drove on the dirt path towards the China Tower beyblading arena, the stadium where the Asian tournaments were being held. A looming mountain scope encased the roads and the fields on their path, complimented by the warm air and various farming communities that the bus passed were enough to remind everyone that they were in China and it wasn't a dream.

Chaya inhaled calmly, loving every minute of this trip now that they were off of the plane. Although the time difference was not monumental, Chaya was still tired and drained of energy from the two flights in the past twenty-four hours. And it wasn't being helped by Takao and Miyami singing loud, off-key songs as the bus rolled along, the other team members eagerly awaiting their arrival to escape the horrible singing and to register in the tournament. If their placements and time allowed, they might actually enter one of the early matches. The team anyway. Chaya was content to just sit down somewhere and lounge.

Or go shopping.

Although she usually hated shopping, Gamma Yoshi had secretively handed her and Max thirty thousand yen each the night before they'd left Tokyo and told them to spoil themselves on the trip. Chaya inwardly smirked. Gamma Yoshi was always doing things like that. She sometimes took the doting grandmother role a little too seriously (although Chaya didn't really mind) despite her insistence that she was still young and hip – which was true. Gamma Yoshi was a black belt, expert kick boxer and lusty singer. She was amazingly rich due to inheriting her late husband's fortune and spent the money pampering herself and anyone she so chose whenever she saw fit, including financing trip down to see the Titanic or to climb Mount Everest. Many of the organizations promoting world peace or searching for cures for certain diseases had her name on the top of their benefactor's lists. She prided herself on never being overly coddling, maintaining a brash, somewhat brazen out look on life. Still, when she thought her grandkids needed some spoiling, she made sure they were.

Chaya looked down at her wallet, wondering what she could buy. She might pick up a nice _qipao_ or perhaps even find an old tome on bitbeasts that she could get Rei to translate. Considering she had been able to trust him with her problem the day before, she was sure she could trust him with her Zorn dilemma…

" China sure is awesome, isn't it?" Kyoujiu was saying excitedly, looking up at the mountains in awe. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think it was just one giant oil painting. It's a shame we won't have time for sight seeing. At least not until after the match."

"And even then, Sunshine back there will probably make you take all your free time practicing," Chaya remarked lazily.

Takao made a face at her. "Well that's not the real reason we're here, is it? We're here to win a beyblade tournament."

"That's right, Takao," Daitenji-san said, proud to see his Nationals champion being serious for once. "Besides, if we win this tournament we will definitely have a day or two left for rest, relaxation and tourism."

"I've heard the roasted mutton is good," Miyami piped up. "I suggest we try it."

"Obviously thoughts revolving around food runs in your family," Chaya teased the younger girl, who grinned cheerfully at her. "Anything else we should know about?"

On the plane ride, the two girls had banded together almost immediately, cementing a friendship amazingly fast. Miyami had decided to switch places with Kai, telling him plainly that he'd have more privacy up front, to which he had silently taken up her offer, and she had spent the rest of the time talking to Chaya. The two of them had exchanged as much information as they could about each other, once in a while disagreeing rather vocally, but on the whole becoming a little closer. Chaya found out from Miyami about her experience with her last beyblading team, and what it was like being the youngest of four children and living in Egypt. She also found out the rather amusing little notes like how Miyami had a diehard fetish for redheaded boys and had once stuffed Takao's head in the mailbox when he came to her house on vacation.

"Nah, I prefer to keep an air of mystery," the silver-haired girl fluttered her eyelashes, before leaning carefully over the seat in front of her to nick a chocolate bar from Takao's knapsack, making sure that his head remained turned towards Kyoujiu. She managed to retreat to her seat moments before he looked back and went looking for aid chocolate bar.

Takao was still talking to Kyoujiu. "…yeah, as long as we get there soon, I'm start – hey, where's my stash!" By the time he looked up, Miyami had already stuffed the bar into her mouth and was grinning innocently back at her cousin. "Miyami! That's the third one! Why can't you just ask, like any normal person!"

"Because you'd say 'no', just like any normal person would."

"That's totally and completely beside the point."

The bus slowly came to a halt, putting an end to the argument before it even got started. The towering stadium they stopped in front of was built in the shape of a weird looking bonsai tree that towered over the parking lots and the scenery surrounding it. As soon as the bus was completely void of motion, the team was pushing and shoving to get out of the bus and head for the building.

Crisp, fresh air with a hint of dust met Chaya's skin as she stepped out of the bus, and she was instantly thankful for the fact that they were visiting Xining in the autumn instead of the summer when the temperatures would be much higher than what they were now. Behind her she could hear the doors of the bus close and the wheels on the gravel as the bus headed off. Daitenji-san had told the driver to drop off their belongings at the place where they were staying.

"Check it out," Takao murmured, squinting with one hand over his eyes as he looked up at the tower. "It almost stretches to the clouds!"

"The tournament is being held on the uppermost peak of the rock tower," Daitenji-san explained.

"And you expect us to climb all the way up there?" Miyami asked with disdain. "I'll take the elevator, thanks very much."

"Oh, I'm sorry," the grey old man said with gentle amusement, "There are no elevators around here."

The silver-haired girl did a double take. After a long pause where she tried to see if Daitenji-san was joking or not, she looked back up to the tower, her face falling. "No way…"

To not only Miyami's chagrin, but Chaya's dire irritation, climb they did, complaining and cursing with every step. After a good fifteen minutes the kids and Daitenji-san managed to catch up with Kai and Rei, who had scaled the stairs without complaint or difficulty the entire way.

The top tower was already packed with people from all ages and locations, while the intercoms blasted messages in many different languages. Chaya could pick out Japanese and English immediately, although she recognized the tones of Mandarin and Cantonese in the mix with more ease than usual.

Following Daitenji-san and glancing around, Chaya let the voices of the announcer wash over them as the team appeared in the open halls, looking for the sign. _"Attention, please. Group A will be stationed in the North Wing and Group B in the South Wing. The first match will begin in approximately thirty minutes." _

"Hey!" Rei's voice made them look up. He was pointing to and reading a large sign that held all of the match times. "It looks like our team is in the first group tomorrow."

Chaya peered closely at the name both kana, as well as plain Western letters, before straightening up and sending Takao an annoyed look. "I thought we told you 'Bladebreakers' was a lame name?"

Takao laughed sheepishly, suddenly noticing the unimpressed looks he was getting from his team-mates. "Uhm…I forgot?" The looks intensified and he coughed. "Hey, right, well, we don't have to stand around here all day, right?"

"My cousin, the idiot," Miyami sighed, and Max laughed beside her.

Shaking her head, Chaya looked back at the sign, noticing the rules posted underneath them. "Hey guys, here's a review of the rules, if you wanna hear 'em."

"Nah, we've got them down," Max replied. "Basically, a single loss and we're eliminated, right?"

Chaya nodded. "You got it."

"No pressure then," Kyoujiu joked dryly.

"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in," a familiar voice said slyly, cutting through the crowds noises with ease.

The team looked around in confusion, before all of them noticed the Bai Hu that were standing clustered together across the room, self-satisfied smirks on each face. Even Ken-zhi was standing there beside the others. Chaya immediately met Mao's eyes and allowed herself a glare, before turning so that she didn't have to look at the other girl.

"You again, huh?" Takao snapped, marching forward a few steps and balling his hands into fists. The rest of them looked on. Beside her, Miyami looked from one team to the other, before she raised her hands in a defensive position.

"Hey, don't shoot me, please, I ain't on this team or in on this little row," she backed away, going to stand behind Kai. "How's it hanging, buddy?" He sent her an annoyed look and then went back to sizing up the other team. "Fine, don't get so chatty about it…"

"Lai…" Rei began, a hint of a growl in his voice as he too stepped forward.

"What's up?" the leader of the Bai Hu team asked in a would-be-innocent voice. "Are you the team mascots, or something?"

"That was so funny, I forgot to laugh," Takao deadpanned, crossing his arms and jutting out his chin. The little exchange of words had caught the attention of many other competitors in the room, and the noises of the crowd went down as they watched Takao and Lai battle it out. "For your information, we plan to win."

The Chinese boy's eyes sprang open, giving him a lion-like quality for a moment as he regarded the Bladebreakers with an air of condescension. "Yeah, right. Dream on."

"You do realize that you're in Group A and the Bai Hu tare in group B, right?" Mao commented, sending Chaya a nasty look. "So if you guys manage to fluke out a first round win, we're going head to head eventually." She was sporting a catlike grin. "And that means you and me, blondie. I'm our solo representative and from what I've heard, you're the one I'll be marking."

Chaya stood up straighter. "Bring it on."

"Not only did we realize that we'd eventually be facing off against you, but we were looking forward to it," Kyoujiu cried earnestly.

"Well, we'll see about that when the time comes," Lai said. "Won't we? Oh, and Rei?" the two looked each other squarely in the eye for a long moment. "We don't go easy on traitors."

"Well we don't go easy on anyone," Rei retorted.

Ken-zhi waltzed up to Takao, grinning boldly, and said in a sleek manner, "You totally look like the weakest link."

"Why you little – " Takao broke off as Kyoujiu and Max wrested him back away from the other boy, while Ken-zhi bounced around chanting 'weakest link, weakest link!' Takao shouted furiously at the young boy, trying desperately to get free from his team-mates. "You look like the missing link!"

"I dunno, Takao, I think the brat's got a point," Miyami pondered out lout, sending Chaya a wink.

The blond rolled her eyes and wandered away from the team towards one of the stands she had spotted out of the corner of her eye. Daitenji-san had said he had already entered all of them in the tournament, but that the tournament organizers needed her signature to confirm it all.

The woman manning the stand nodded cheerfully at her and pushed the paper forward. "Nihao."

"Nihao," Chaya replied absently, hurriedly signing her name and passing it back, waiting for the woman to hand her over her tournament identification.

"Zhu ni hao yun," the woman chirped as Chaya took the ID. She smiled, not knowing the what the woman was saying and just nodded, trying to remember some type of word other than 'hello' in the foreign language. (2)

(-)

"Aw, this place is totally wicked!" Takao cried, looking up to the large farm where the Bladebreakers would be staying during their stay in China. Although not the most chic place, the Lin family farm had a certain charm to it, Chaya had to admit.

The gardens showed signs of being well-tended and a broken cobble-stone yard surrounded the outer area of the farm. The entire house was on one level, but stretched across a few room lengths. Daitenji-san had told the team earlier that although the Lin family had once been chicken farmers, they had made an entrepreneurial decision and turned their home into an inn.

The bus had picked the team and Daitenji-san up from the China Tower after it was announced that none of their matches began today. Now that it was pulling into the drive, the main door of the farm swung open and out dashed a short, squat little woman, waving a rag and calling out to them.

"Ah, there's our hostess," Daitenji-san chuckled as he got out of the bus to lead the team out to meet the woman. She immediately lunged for him and began to jabber on so quickly no one knew what she had said, squeezing his cheeks. When she saw the team behind him, she let out a loud cry of happiness and went to each member in turn, sizing them up and talking to them in rapid-fire Mandarin.

Chaya watched in amusement as she pinched the cheeks of all of the boys and seemed to be telling them things that only Rei, who blushed lightly and laughed a little, could understand. She nearly fell over in surprise when the little old woman did the exact same thing to Kai, despite the disarming glare he had sent towards her. The oldest member of the team stared at her in total shock, a large red spot on his cheek, marring the blue triangles that he always had painted on his face.

When it was hers and Miyami's turn, the woman merely hugged them lovingly and then patted them up and down, a queer look appearing on her face as she said something.

Rei laughed and explained to both of the puzzled looking girls, "She says you're both skin and bones. You need to eat so you can be big and beautiful girls to get a nice husband."

While Miyami looked indignant at the 'fattening up' comment, Chaya made a face at the fact that this woman believed it was her sole purpose to get married one day. She was about to tell her off, but stopped when the woman finally spoke.

"_Dui bu qi_…I sorry," she nodded at them, her Japanese broken. "Not introduce myself. I called Lin Huang-Jin. You may say Lin Nai Nai. _Huan ying – _welcome. Let me show to rooms." And before anyone could say anything, she was herding them into the farmhouse, chattering perfectly happy, once in a while saying a few things in Mandarin, but over all quite understandable to the entire team.

"Am very sorry, but did not know we have girls," Lin said, looking extremely apologetic as they walked down the hall of the rooms. "You not sleep in room with others, okay?"

"It's no problem," Chaya and Miyami rushed to say, hoping that to put the woman at ease. Despite their first impression, it had taken mere moments before Chaya found herself loving the old lady. It had probably been because of her mile-a-minute attitude.

"No, no, not okay. Other room," Lin said, shaking her head firmly. "You have this." She opened the door to her left and gestured inside to where a small, quaint little room was already prepared. A simple white futon lay on the floor near the window, as well as a table and two large pillows. "I put other futon in later, yes?"

Exchanging helpless glances, Chaya and Miyami nodded. The woman bowed her head quickly again and went to show the boys their room, further down the hall. Neither of them moved for a second, and then Chaya yawned, plopping down on the futon and stretching out majestically.

Miyami narrowed her eyes. "Hey, Cleopatra, off the futon, you can have the other one!"

"Bullshit, I was here first. You snooze, you lose…so go snooze."

"I would if you weren't lying on my futon."

"Yours? I don't see your name on it."

"Gah! Vengeance will be mine!" Miyami yelled, launching herself at Chaya and the futon, attempting to push her off of it. With a loud growl, Chaya grasped onto the thick mat, holding on for dear life as the other girl tried to pull it out from under her. With a few strong tugs Miyami had only managed to make the futon lift a few times and fall back with a depressed thud on the floor, Chaya cackling triumphantly each time.

"Give it up already, Miyami."

"Not a snowball's chance in Florida!" the other girl grunted, climbing on top and hauling at the tips of the mat. "Mine!"

"Miyami, what the hell are you – "

" – let go – "

" – it's tipping – !"

"AAAHHH!"

_Fwump! _

Everything went dark as the futon flipped over, capturing both of the girls beneath it. For a moment, no one spoke, before Chaya cleared her throat, her nose crushed into the thin mattress. "Well…that was interesting."

"Which part?" Miyami shifted to her left, glancing over, her head brushing the object that was currently sagging on top of both of them.

Chaya didn't answer right away, and then grinned against the fabric. "The Kai-getting-his-cheeks-pinched part."

"Ooh, yeah, that was good, wasn't it?" Miyami's laugh echoed.

The girls didn't bother moving from their positions under the futon, preferring to just lie there talking and laughing about nothing in particular. At some point, between the time when the futon was tipped and the time when Lin came back with the other futon and cried out loudly at the sight of the two girls 'trapped' under the settee, they began to suggest ways of keeping the triangles off of Kai's face, and somehow stapling his mouth into a smile.

Of course, once one of the teams' members has been analyzed, the girls couldn't stop themselves from going on about the other members of the team. As they set up Miyami's futon (Chaya had won the coin-toss as to who got the overturned one) the two of them voiced their diverse first impressions about the boys, as well as their suggestions as to what to do about them.

Chaya was just on the point of commenting that Max needed to add less sugar to his cereal when Lin poked her head in and announced dinner was being served and that they had better wash up.

"You got it," Chaya said, as Miyami wordlessly skidded towards the bathroom down the hall so that she could hurry to the table. She laughed. "Excuse her; she's got food on the brain."

"Good. Must put meat on bones, eh?" Lin chuckled heartily, turning to leave.

Chaya yawned and got ready to leave the room as well, stretching from her position where she had been lying on her re-made daybed. Getting to her feet, she all of a sudden noticed the strange expression that had flitted across Nai-nai Lin's features. "Uh…Lin Nai Nai?"

The petite old woman shook her head, and allowed a bright smile to adorn her face. "Is nothing. Hurry, food will get cold."

And she was gone, leaving Chaya staring at the door frame with a look of bemusement on her face. She clearly recalled where Lin has been staring, and her fingers absently reached up to her throat, toying with the pendant around her throat. There was no question that the old woman had been looking at the bit clip, and even less that it was merely a calculating stare.

A queer shudder passed through her, the light dimming for a moment, before flickering back to normal.

What was going on?

"Come on, Chays, hurry up!" Miyami cheered loudly as she rushed by, her hands barely dry. Chaya allowed herself to fake an amused laugh, before slowly leaving the room to wash her hands and get ready for dinner.

So far this was the first conscious hint of presence on Zorn's side, Chaya considered. She was surprised the bitbeast hadn't shown itself the day before with the appearance of the Bai Hu team, considering their ties to ancient bitbeasts, but in hindsight, she was pretty thankful for that.

She could already hear the water running in the bathroom, and when she peeked in she noticed Kai already cleaning up. With only a brief moment of hesitation, she waltzed in, grinning.

"Hey there! So, how do you like our trip to China so far?"

He ignored her, rinsing the last small suds from his hands as she reached for the bar of soap on the edge of the sink. She frowned, making a comical face in the mirror. What the hell was this guy's problem? She was just trying to be friendly…

He was looking in a completely different direction as he moved for the towel. "Hey Kai?"

No response as he finished up and turned to go. "Kai."

He was at the door, and she sighed. "Why are you so afraid to look at people in the eye?"

The response was immediate, as though the jab to his pride was something that could not be ignored. She grinned inwardly; glad those years of pushing people's buttons had taught her exactly which ones to go for in difficult cases. Kai's crimson eyes glared directly into her own brown ones, and when he spoke it was barely an octave above a growl. "What do you _want_?"

"I don't _want_ anything," she retorted, her hands on her hips, her soapy skin forgotten even as it soaked through her shirt. "Why do you automatically think people want something of you? I was just asking a simple question…" she trailed off, remembering something she had pondered over since the national tournament. "Hey, change in question. About Dranzer…if you had her so long, how could you not know that she was female?"

His glare intensified, and with practiced effort, she ignored it. His voice was at a more dangerous level when he answered her, something she was surprised at right away. "And how would you, who has never seen her before, know?"

They regarded each other for a moment; the slate-haired teen seemed to be sizing her up as she pondered what to tell him. Finally, she shrugged and decided on the truth. "Somehow…I just knew."

To her surprise, he seemed to accept that and turned to leave again. Just as he was disappearing behind the door, she heard his voice, quieter than before. "I never believed gender to be important and I never bothered to pursue the matter until you brought it up. It was a natural reaction for me to assume Dranzer was male considering the question of strength."

And he was gone.

Chaya stood still for a moment, hardly daring to believe he had actually said something to her…volunteered information. Well…perhaps not volunteered, but he had told her something personal like. And although she knew for sure that this meant absolutely nothing and that Kai was still a jerk in her eyes, she couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment.

Something clicked, and she narrowed her eyes, whipping her head around the post to glare at his back. "Wait a minute, are you implying women aren't strong! Hey! Answer me!"

* * *

>0 

(1) Itoko is the Japanese word for cousin

(2) _Qipao_ is a form of cheongsam, a body hugging Chinese dress. Qipao are only worn by women and mostly for special occasions. Cheongsam are worn by men only during special occasions

(3) _Zhu ni hao yun_ means 'good luck' in Mandarin – I think.

* * *

>0 

Yay! Another Chapter! Enjoy it, guys!


	10. Chapter Nine

_**The Underdog Syndrome**_

**Author**: KuriQuinn

**Title**: The Underdog Syndrome

**Fandom**: Beyblade

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Beyblade (Aoki Takao does), but if I did I'd probably be rich and still reading fanfiction

**Pairing**: I'll never tell…

**Rating**: PG-13 for language

**Summary**: A teen with heavy emotional baggage is suddenly thrown back into the world of beyblading, only to be thrown a series of lives curveballs a day at a time.

**Takes Place:** Series

* * *

>0 

November 1, 2001

"That match was totally awesome!" Takao's voice broke through the silence of the afternoon, making Chaya jump, her eyes springing open in surprise as she awoke, rolling over in shock. Had she been sleeping on a normal bed, she would probably have fallen off, but thanks to the fact that the futon was close to the ground, she ended up merely falling over pathetically onto her face.

She could hear the muffled thumps of footsteps, the tread light and quick. She recognized Takao's footfalls easily despite the distance between her room door and the entrance to the farm house. That and she could practically feel the vibrations against her nose.

'I could probably move,' she contemplated for a moment, but then decided that her position, although very odd, was also quite comfortable.

"Chaya, we're back! We're – Chaya? What are you doing looking like a human pancake? Scratch that, what are you still doing in bed!" She watched Miyami's knees slowly appear inches from her face and strained her eyes upwards to look up at the amused face of her friend.

"Too lazy to get up," she said simply, although against the floor it sounded more like a cross between a muffled sniffle and a sneeze.

"Sorry, I don't speak Chayish," her friend chirped lightly. "Come on, get up. Lin Nai Nai's getting the tea ready and Daitenji-san said it's time for you guys to do some school work – besides, I have to tell you about the match! It was bloody brilliant!"

"I'm sure," the blond yawned, pushing herself off of her face and into a sitting position, shivering slightly at the loss of her blanket to gravity. She rubbed her arms up and down, more as a comfort than trying to regenerate heat in her skin. "I'm guessing by your less than depressed tone that we won?"

"Yeah, all three match-ups," Miyami said unconcernedly. "But they were some trouble. And then we had a few issues for the second match because Rei wasn't doing as well as he should – and then Hiwatari threatened to buy him a bus-ticket to the airport and – "

"Whoa, whoa, Hiwatari what?" Chaya was very much awake now, ire filling her. Who did that jerk think he was?

"Well, Rei was being all angsting about his past, right? And it was making his blading really choppy – I mean, he almost got himself thrown off of the mini-cliff – so Kai was all snide and grouchy saying that if Rei lost, we all had to pitch in and send him home."

Chaya stared, still overly confused. "Mini-cliff? What are you talking about? And why are you talking as though you were right next to everyone when all this happened?"

The Japanese girl turned a light pink and grinned devilishly. "Well, you see, just before the first tournament began, I made friends with one of the arena crew and they let me into the dug-out area. I basically sat in back of the guys the entire match – damn good seats, if you ask me."

"You're such a mooch," Chaya teased, finally getting up and stretching. "Backtrack one more time – cliff-thing. You were talking about what, exactly?"

"Oh, that," Miyami looked excited again, her hands jumping into the air as she spoke. "You see, the tournament organizers came up with this really neat idea where they sculpt the dishes to represent real life things – today it was a mountain chain. Which is why I said cliff before, right?"

"Uh…if you say so," Chaya mumbled, wondering vaguely if this meant that she would have to face not only the competition from other countries but the confusing and challenging dish types. It had been a long time since she had competed at an expert level, but she didn't remember the dishes every being anything other than bowl-shaped.

"Oh, and we saw the Bai Hu team in action. That Mao chick is actually more than what we saw in the alleyway. She totally shredded some kid's blade in less than a second – without sweating at all. You've got your work cut out for you."

"Well good, I wouldn't want the match to be too easy," Chaya grinned. "So…you were saying something about tea?"

Miyami blinked, and then an ecstatic look passed over her face. "Oh yeah! Come on, food!"

The Japanese girl grabbed on to Chaya's wrist and hauled her out of the room and down the hall. Chaya regarded the simple wooden floors and walls appreciatively; liking the simple and homey charm they gave the farm house.

The two girls entered the kitchen to find the rest of the team, excepting Kai, gathered around the long table, all in various states of eating. Lin was bustling about pouring tea for everyone, while chatting with Daitenji-san about something to do with raising chickens. Rei sat at the end of the table, moodily stirring his tea, a preoccupied look on his face, while Kyoujiu was chatting loudly to one in particular about the beyblade stats, his fingers flying across his laptop keyboard at such a fast speed that Chaya had to concentrate just to see them move. Max and Takao were stuffing their faces with homemade dumplings, whose aroma had long since filled the kitchen.

"Mm, those smell good," Chaya murmured, sliding into the chair next to Rei and taking one. When he didn't move, she frowned, and then beamed at him, deciding to try and cheer him up. "Hey, Rei-kun, I'd grab some of those dumplings soon before Takao makes them all extinct."

The Chinese boy glanced at her in surprise, obviously having missed her entrance into the kitchen, and then allowed a small smile to break over his features. She was slightly worried to see that it was completely forced. "Yeah…"

"Daijobu?"

"Hai, hai, I'm fine," he shook his hand dismissively and reached for one of the dumplings. She recognized the gesture as one to stop the rest of her questions, and sighed grumpily. Usually she would pursue the matter, but Rei had been nice enough to her so far that she would respect his space.

Clearing her throat, she added some sugar to her tea, conversationally asking, "So, where's our fearless leader?"

"Out sulking in the courtyard," Takao replied, eying the rest of the food greedily, trying to gulp down his sixth treat before Max could so that he could get the last one. "He's been ultra-moody since the match – I don't see why, we won the thing, didn't we?"

"I think he was more concerned with the fact that we all had a little trouble," Max said cautiously, sending an unimpressed look Takao's way. "Even you did, you have to admit."

"Pah, I was fine," Takao rolled his eyes. "I wasn't the one that began to wimp out at the slightest ounce of heat."

"What are you saying!" Max cried suspiciously.

"Absolutely nothing…"

"You know, Takao, as I recall, you were pretty much as sluggish as Max was," Kyoujiu said absently, his eyes not leaving his computer screen. "In fact, you nearly fainted – and you were slobbering all over my shoulder."

Everyone laughed, and Takao sent Kyoujiu a dirty look. Muttering under his breath, he snatched the last dumpling moments before Max could grab it. He stuck out his tongue at his friend and bit into it. Max, looking outraged, reached for it. "Share, you pig!"

"Nope," Takao smirked, his mouth full and holding the thing out of his friend's reach. "It's an eat what-you-kill-world, Maxie and you were just a little bit too slow."

Max looked adorably annoyed, red tinge of anger appearing on his face. "You didn't kill the dumpling, now share!"

Takao's loud and triumphant laugh turned into a choking cough seconds later when Lin's hand reached down and walloped him over the head with the cooking spoon. "You share! And chew with mouth closed!"

The teenagers erupted into laughs again, and even Rei had to join in at the sight of Takao meekly swallowing and offering the rest of the dumpling to Chaya's brother. They had never seen him comply with anyone's orders before and to tell the truth, it was rather refreshing.

Chaya could understand why Lin held some sort of unspoken leverage over all of them – she was just too damn loveable for any of them to dislike her and disobey her. That and she held the commanding stare of an army general when she was annoyed.

Daitenji-san cleared his throat, finally able to get off of the subject of chickens and turned to the entire team. "Now, you kids go to your studies. You have to have completed at least five hours a day, remember that – and I'm sure Kai will want to hold a training session some time later."

"No doubt," Chaya rolled her eyes.

"Ah, Chaya – I guess you can relax a little," Daitenji-san said jovially. "No doubt you've already finished today's quota, eh? Got a jump on the competition?"

Chaya blinked, staring at the old man and then letting her jaw drop a little. "Yehuuuuuh – no."

Daitenji looked at her, faint disapproval flitting through his features. "Tate-san, am I to understand that you spent all of your free time today, lounging around doing nothing? No homework, not even training?"

"I did stuff!" Chaya managed to look scandalized at the suggestion that she had done nothing, despite its truth. Lin swept past, clearing the table.

"She sleep like dead for morning," the woman said. "Was very quiet in house, I not think there anyone here."

Chaya pouted at Lin, trying to ignore the look of reprehension on Daitenji-san's face. "Traitor."

Lin smiled slyly at her, shaking her head, and she groaned, knowing she was bound to get some sort of reprimand from Daitenji-san.

"Chaya, you can not just spend all your time sleeping in and wasting the day when we're in such important times," the old man scolded. "Remember, the early bird catches the worm."

"And the late bird beats up the early bird because it's stronger because it had more rest, takes the worm and lives happily ever after," Chaya replied before she could stop herself, resulting her friends laughing at her and a very comical expression on their benefactor's face.

She felt like smacking herself. Why couldn't she just keep her big mouth shut?

"I…uh…gomen nasai, Daitenji-san," she said nervously. "You know what? I'm suddenly deciding that I have a lot of homework to catch up on – besides, you said yourself that Kai probably wanted to train with us, so – uh – bye!"

She jumped to her feet, pretending she couldn't hear the old man's indignant calls after her and hurried from the room. As she was escaping into the yard, she nearly collided with Kai, who was just coming in from the training grounds outside. The slate-haired teenager didn't look any more impressed at the sight of her as he usually did, and when he glared at her as though her very existence angered him, she instantly offered up a wide smile.

He ignored her, brushing past and walking back to where she had come from and she whirled around, sticking her tongue out at his back. "Jerk."

"I heard that," he replied without looking back.

Chaya frowned even more at this, putting her hands on her hips as she watched the loner disappear around a corner, and then jauntily stepped off, deciding that she would go for a walk before she began any of her homework. A little voice nagged at her for procrastinating, but she ignored it. It wasn't like she wouldn't _do_ her homework…she just wouldn't do it _now_.

The gardens of the house were lush and filled with many delicious looking vegetables. Chaya inhaled deeply the scent of air that was mixed with the smells of nature and not car exhaust and cigarette smoke. She still couldn't get over how clear the air was here in Xining.

The air was muggy and good, and Chaya squinted up at the sky. Dark, rolling clouds loomed overhead, threatening with a storm. Chaya smirked, something in her telling her that without a doubt it was going to rain. 'Looks like Kai-kun's plans to train outside won't be happening today…'

As though beckoned by her thoughts, there was a distant sounding of thunder. Deciding that she didn't want to get stuck outside when it began to rain, Chaya hurried back to the farm house, intent on getting inside and beginning on her homework, when it happened.

Her spine seemed to shudder from within itself and the world went black for a moment, a quick reel of images flashing through her mind at such a dizzying rate that she shot her hand forward, thankfully catching hold of the doorpost, to keep herself from falling. A thin line of green energy shocked through the black darkness of her mind. The fleeting glimpses and outlines disappeared before she could identify even one of them, but she could feel a burning, foreboding energy throughout the entire episode.

And then just as soon as it had come, she was standing alone again, as though nothing had happened, gripping the door-post so tightly that it had given her a few splinters in her fingers. She stood quite still for a moment, just trying to focus on what had just happened. There was another roll of thunder, closer this time, and she felt the random few drops of water begin to fall.

'Whatever had happened, it's gone for now,' she thought distractedly, her fingers flying to the Zorn pendant around her neck. 'I think.'

(-)

"Ugh, this is soooo boring, I don't want to do algebra," Miyami whined for the umpteenth time that afternoon. Chaya rolled her eyes at her friend, and then looked out the window, watching the black sky with interest. Not even moments after she had come into the farm-house, the rain had begun to pound towards the earth, shaking the vegetables and plants around the farm with such an intensity that Chaya was sure that they were going to break and be mulched into the dirt. "Hey Chays, want to do my homework for me?"

"Oh, I wish I could, but I really don't want to," the blond girl said earnestly. "See, this Pythagorean Theorem stuff is enough to drive anyone crazy. And then after that I have to write an essay on Romeo and Juliet for English, and then do more Japanese grammar and French verbs and I think I might possibly have to learn the names of the bones in the human body, but I'm not sure – "

"Okay, okay, I get it," Miyami groaned at her, glaring at Chaya in annoyance. "You're scaring me, I don't want to have to learn all of that stuff – do I have to?"

"Next year, yeah," Chaya shrugged, remembering after a beat that the other girl was a year younger than she was. "But you know what I'm really dreading? Trigonometry – did you even _see _what Kai-kun has to do? It was scary –"

BOOM!

"AHHH!" Miyami yelled loudly, jumping at the thunder. Chaya laughed out loud, and she glared. "Hey, it's not funny! I wasn't expecting that."

"Uh huh."

"I wasn't!"

"Sure…" Chaya trailed off, glancing warily at the sky again and then standing up. "Hey, I'm going to go get some tea or something – want anything?"

"Hm…Lin Nai Nai got any lamb and cheesy leaks?"

Chaya rolled her eyes. "We're in China, 'Yami, not Wales…"

"Ugh. Nah, I'm good then."

Chaya laughed out loud and retreated from the small room that was serving her and Miyami for the time being. The hallways of the farm-house were dark, considering that Lin didn't have electricity in the entire house. Even the light in Miyami and Chaya's room was from battery-powered lamps. Chaya didn't mind. The darkness and candlelight of the kitchen gave the place a homey feeling to it.

The old Chinese woman was bustling around the kitchen, cooking up what was probably going to be their supper. Whatever it was smelled amazing.

"Hi Lin Nai Nai," Chaya greeted as she stepped over the threshold. The little old woman let out a loud cry of surprise and turned to face Chaya, laughingly scolding her.

"No scare me like that! I not hear you come in – you hungry? I can fix something –"

"No, it's okay," Chaya grinned. "I was just going to get some tea – is that okay?"

"Of course it okay," the woman said dismissively, moving quickly around the kitchen to procure the tea and other things. Chaya tried to tell her that she was able to do it herself if she was shown where things were, but Lin insisted on doing so herself. Chaya had to laugh – the hospitality this woman showed was almost manic.

As they waited for the water to boil, Chaya watched the old Chinese woman preparing supper for that night, amazingly swift but accurately. However, after a few minutes of this, she noticed that Lin was glancing doubtfully at her – or more precisely, at the pendant by her throat.

For the second time, Chaya felt the overwhelming sensation that Lin knew something. This time, though, she was completely alone with the woman and there were no distractions around. "Lin Nai Nai, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, sure…"

"What do you know about bitbeasts?"

She felt almost badly when she saw how the woman tensed, her hands stopping in mid-reach for some kind of spice. She slowly turned around to face Chaya, her expression one of kindliness, although Chaya could tell in a heart-beat how false it was. The woman seemed to be having trouble keeping calm. "Why you think I know oh, how you say, bitbeast?"

Chaya didn't like her evasiveness, or the way the woman seemed to think she was stupid all of a sudden. "Come on, Lin, I know you know something – you wouldn't be staring at Zorn the way you have been since I got here if you didn't."

The old woman gave her a shrewd, calculating look, almost as though she was inwardly deciding whether she should keep going with her little charade or actually give in. Judging by the way her shoulders suddenly relaxed and she sighed, Chaya was glad to see she had won this round.

"You're stubborn, I'll give you that," Lin said quietly, all traces of grandmotherly aura gone. Chaya was shocked to hear the woman suddenly speaking in perfect Japanese, with practically no hint of an accent. "But if you ask me, you should let sleeping dogs lie."

Chaya crossed her arms, deciding not to beat around the bush. "Well I don't have the sanity to leave it alone, so if you could just tell me whatever you know about bitbeasts –"

"I don't know much, girl," Lin said quietly, opening a container with herbs in it. Chaya watched her scoop a few tea-leaves into two deep cups and turn back to her. "Anything I know is what my husband told me long ago. You see, I'm not sure how it works in the other places of the world, but in China, it is only the old families that still know about bitbeasts and what they are – my husband was of one of the clans, but he was banished for marrying outside of them." The woman suddenly looked knowing. "You're friend Rei would probably know of the rules of the clan better than anyone. Maybe you should ask him."

"I can't do that," Chaya replied. "Rei's a nice guy and I don't want to make him remember stuff that he doesn't want to just to find out about a bitbeast."

"A dangerous one at that," Lin added.

Chaya paused, and stared at her suspiciously. "How did you know that?"

Lin looked somewhat indignant. "I may be near blind, but anyone could see the dark aura that comes off of that spirit. As close as you are to her you should feel it as well."

No, she couldn't feel anything. Chaya had never been susceptible to such feelings as clairvoyance or other worldly perceptions – at least, not until Zorn had reappeared. But that was all the spirit, not any of her ability. She had heard of strange abilities being passed through bloodlines and kept within families, and read about families who were 'witches' or gypsies with prophetic powers. Hell, even her Shinto grandmother, although not from one of these bloodlines, believed in it with a kamikaze like fashion. But as far as Chaya knew, you couldn't learn to be psychic.

Right?

"My best advice to you, girl, is to not fool around with such things as the sacred spirits. No good can come of it," Lin was saying thoughtfully, getting up to pour the hot water into the tea. "But I can sense how stubborn you are so I will give you some advice." Chaya straightened up, intent on the woman before her. "Pursue your knowledge, if you can, with members of the old clans – and I do mean ancient here. The more primitive the clan, the better it will be for you and the more information or warnings you receive. But don't search out anything until you can divine with your own eyes. Because what you learn will mean nothing to you until you can understand the terms."

Lin handed her the cup of tea and fixed the cheerful, grandmother smile on her face. "Okay, you go now. I have make dinner. Go do homework now!"

Chaya found herself being shooed from the kitchen and back into the hallway, somewhat startled at the abrupt switch of Lin's personality. It was almost unreal…slipping quietly back to her room, she frowned in concentration. Where was she supposed to find a member of the old family that would bother telling her about bitbeasts? Lin hadn't really told her much. She had told her where to look. She hadn't answered any questions.

'Damn it,' Chaya grumbled inwardly as she returned to her room and absently noticed Miyami intent on a drawing rather than her homework. 'It has to be an Asian trait that they can never tell you just what you want you hear – everything's freaking cryptic!'

(-)

She was surrounded on all sides by dark shadows – feeble wisps of being, but they were pulling her down at strength far beyond her own. She was drowning in something thick and gluttonous, but without substance.

"Chaya, wake up!"

She jumped, her eyes opening so quickly that there was a brief flash of light before she focused on Miyami, who was shaking her awake. For some reason, the silver-eyed girl looked worried. "Eh…_Daijobu_?"

"_Iie_ – Rei's outside – battling with that shrimp Ken-zhi."

"Huh?" Chaya was fully awake now and could detect the rush of movement from the boys' room down the hall. Her brother's and Takao's shouts were the loudest and she pushed herself into a sitting position. Miyami had already moved away and was yanking on sweater. "I don't get it…"

"Kyoujiu-chan just ran through the halls yelling about Ken-zhi stealing his data and that Rei was fighting him and – and – just hurry up!"

Chaya kicked her futon's coverings to the ground, and instead of waiting for Miyami, hurried down the hallway, her bare-feet padding against the wooden floor painfully. She passed the boys room, which was in an uproar and nearly collided with Kai as he hurried out.

The slate-haired captain of the team looked as though he had just been shaken awake like she had been, his eyes filled with sleep and his face void of the triangles that Chaya usually saw. It almost made her stop and study him a little more, but her mind was more focused on the news of Rei's battle than anything right now. As the two of them raced towards the exit, she noticed that he didn't seem to be as worried as Max and Takao sounded. But there was a preoccupied look on his face; almost as though he was determined about something.

They reached the battling dishes in the courtyard simultaneously. Chaya bent over, trying to catch her breath and see through the vicious rain that was whipping through the air towards her. Kai, it seemed, wasn't bothered by the short jog and didn't look the slightest tired.

Not even a second after she stepped outside, her hair and clothing was plastered to her body and the cold wind tortured her skin mercilessly. She heard the others finally arrive behind her. She tried to ignore it, focusing instead on the battle. The two blades were grating against each other mercilessly, Rei's Drigger having the obvious advantage, but Ken-zhi's Galman still a strong force.

She watched in confusion as the Galman blade pushed the Drigger back. Rei's face dripped wet from the rain, his hair coming loose from his braid and his bangs falling over his face because he wasn't wearing his usual bandana. His eyes were shining with something fierce directed at Ken-zhi and it took Chaya a moment before she realized that part of it was pride.

The sense of Rei's relationship to his old team lingered sharp in the air and Chaya wasn't the only one to notice it. She could feel Kai's tension near her even though he looked as though he was casually observing nothing more than a skirmish. The lightening cast sinister shadows on all of the bladers in the courtyard and the sudden overwhelming feeling of drowning was upon her again.

"Hey Rei – you better come get me!" Ken-zhi's eyes glinted maliciously in the glow of the flashes.

"You better watch what you wish for!"

The other Bladebreakers hurried to the side of the dish between Rei and Ken-zhi, but instead of going to interrupt the match, merely lined up around the dish to watch the match. Chaya couldn't move. Her eyes were riveted on the match below. Ken-zhi's blade was glowing a brilliant yellow, and Chaya felt something seem to be emanating from it. She couldn't discern what it was though.

"Oh no. the little shrimp's blade is powering up!" Although Takao's statement was overly obvious, Chaya still welcomed it as she tried to ground herself to something that would keep her from the strange presence that was pulling at her. It was almost as though clawed hands had caught hold of her mind. The sensation exploded around her as the Galman bitbeast suddenly rose up above them all, a ferocious ancient looking primate. The screeches that emitted from its mouth pierced Chaya's ears and she clapped her hands over them, wincing at their intensity.

Rei didn't seem impressed by his former teammate's show, because seconds later he had released his own bitbeast and for a second time in a few weeks Chaya stared up in amazement at the fierce form of the white tiger. Drigger's roars were stronger than those of Galman and his size also much more impressive. In the air the powerfully built spirit whirled around, its gaze narrowed on its surroundings.

Again, Chaya felt its piercing gaze almost making her tremble beneath it, before it snarled and leaped at Galman. For a split second Chaya felt that strange something – the burning feeling from both the beasts, before it was gone again. She shuddered at it's intensity even as she watched the battle, suddenly unsure of herself. Was this what Lin had been talking about? Were these the aura's she spoke of?

No, that couldn't be, because what she felt with Zorn was like a cold slap in the face – and the only reason she felt anything beyond her own vision was because of Zorn.

There was no end to how confused she was.

The Drigger blade skimmed by the Galman without taking him out of the match, before both blade slipped because of the rain and sunk down to the middle of the cobblestone dish. Ken-zhi looked astounded and amazed for a moment, before sudden panic set in.

The two beasts bellowed at each other. Ken-zhi glanced around, looking suddenly worried, and called out, his face looking drawn. "Rei, wait! Let's stop this right now and call it a draw, okay?"

"It's to late now!" Rei yelled back, his voice almost a low growl. Chaya could see the way he was intensely watching his match and had to concentrate to not take a step back. "I don't have any choice but to finish you off – so stop your begging!"

Lightening crashed above them.

_'He is weak_.'

The harshness of the voice made her jump. Expecting an explanation of the bitbeast's words and getting none she continued to watch the match, feeling a hazy apprehension growing stronger and stronger.

"B-but Rei!" Ken-zhi sputtered, the rain dripping down his face in droves as he tried to search for something to say. "We used to be friends!"

Rei was tense. "That's all just history now! Drigger, attack!"

The tiger roared and leaped forward, intent to kill obvious in its movements. The crackling energy was all around them, and not because of the thunderstorm. Chaya felt as though her entire body was just being held together by the tension of this moment. Ken-zhi sensed the end as well and hung his head, falling to his knees.

"I guess…that's it. All I can do I watch as you totally destroy my life…" The dejectedness in his voice, followed by his tear-filled eyes when he looked up at Rei threw everyone off. The Chinese Bladebreaker looked confused for a moment. Chaya looked between the two of them hurriedly, not understanding. Why had Ken-zhi all of a sudden lost his confident air? Even before when Rei had gained the upper hand he had stayed collect, but now… "For the last time, I beg you – please, don't do this to me!"

"It's…it's too late…" Rei murmured, although his suddenly didn't seem to sure of himself.

A flash of nothing but the green energy flash from before heated Chaya's vision and she cried out. To her surprise, Rei's voice joined hers.

"Now what…my beyblade's stopping!"

There was a cackle and before anyone knew what was going on, Ken-zhi was on his feet again, the over-confident smile back on his face, his stature small and determined. "I can't believe you're so dumb!" He laughed evilly. "I mean, you actually bought that bit about me sucking up to you?" His demeanor changed from cocky to angry. "When you left us you lost your edge, Rei!" Rei, along with the others, watched in disbelief as Galman attacked an already wobbling Drigger. His eyes widened and –

_It was all black. Before her she saw Rei standing as though turned to stone, facing the giant tiger above him. Drigger roared loudly, almost insulted in his voice, pawing the ground angrily. Rei cried out before her and the white tiger snarled in disgust, before fading. _

"No, don't!" Rei's voice awakened her from what she thought was a dream. He stared down at his blade as a sudden hot flash of energy burst into the night sky before them, disappearing into the abyss. Below them the blade wobbled to a stop, before lying with a depressed clink in the center of the dish.

Ken-zhi laughed nastily. "So, Rei, I guess you forgot you lose control of your bit-beast for good if you only fight half-heartedly, huh? That makes me the winner, doesn't it?"

It was Rei's turn to fall to his knees, a look of complete shock on his face. "I-I'm so stupid…How could I forget that…"

"You're a disgrace! And I'm glad you left the Bai-Hu! The only thing you had going for you was your Drigger bitbeast and now that's gone!"

Behind Chaya, she heard Miyami snap, "Hey you pea-sized shrimp, leave him alone! You've already cheated him out of his own bitbeast with your stupid tricks, what more do you want!"

"I want him to regret leaving us!" Ken-zhi yelled back, for the first time not looking calm or collected. Raw emotion of hurt and loss passed over his face before everything was suddenly void of feeling – hidden beneath his triumphant smile.

Rei stared at him uncomprehendingly. "But…I didn't abandon the Bai-Hu team…can't you understand that?"

The younger Chinese boy didn't seem to hear him, instead thrusting his hand out and allowing a look of concentration to take over as he focused his energy. "Time to finish you! Crazy Monkey Atta –"

"Hold it there, shrimp!" Takao yelled, and before everyone's eyes his blade intercepted Ken-zhi's attack, sending the blade back at the younger boy. He caught it and glared upwards abruptly. "Alright, that's it, who's the wise guy!"

Takao pushed past Chaya and Kai, bumping their shoulders together as he approached the dish. The rain was still raining down on them and Chaya felt her toes screaming in protest as the cold wrought pain upon them. She felt as though she was standing barefoot in the snow and immediately regretted having not pulled along a sweater or put on her shoes.

"Listen, kid, just back off and don't try anything stupid," the Japanese boy ordered, his expression angrier than Chaya had seen it to date. He leaned over Rei a moment, worry peaking through. "You alright, Rei-buddy?"

Rei didn't get a chance to answer as he was cut off by Ken-zhi's annoyingly evil chuckle. "Rei's your bud? Heh, oh, yeah, Rei;s your little buddy – I hate to break it to you, pork-rind, but someday he'll betray you too."

"You're wrong, that'll never!" Takao yelled at the same time that Miyami snapped, "Keep talking you little freak…just keep talking…"

The boy looked at them now, almost pityingly. "There was a time when I thought the same thing, but that all changed when he deserted the Bai Hu to join your little team." Chaya watched Rei move dejectedly downward, staring at his blade thoughtful as he bent over to pick it up. Had he seen the same image that she had? Had he felt the same disgust from the bit beast as she had?

"I don't care what you think of Rei – you stole my data and I want it back!" Kyoujius yelled furiously, his glasses fogging up from the beat of the rain on them. "Do you understand!"

Ken-zhi looked at him appraisingly. "Sure I do, but you're going to have to win it back."

Takao straightened his shoulders, a manic grin on his face. "Heh, you know? I'm going to enjoy this…" He reached into his pocket to find his launcher again – but to his and everyone else's surprise, Miyami suddenly strode forward, pushing past her cousin and Chaya.

She leapt over the beydish, landing not a foot in front of Ken-zhi and then straightened up.

Even from their place across the dish they could see Miyami's overwrought demeanor and for a moment Chaya thought she saw her friends' eyes glow red. Her arm shot outward and she suddenly had the short boy held by the scruff of his shirt.

"Hey, what gives –"

"I'll tell you what gives, you cat-litter turd," Miyami growled, sounding remarkably wolfish suddenly. "You're not the only one that's go good reflexes so don't even try to get away from me. I've seen enough of your tricks since the alley and I don't like you. So you can hand over that disk or you can allow me to act on my dislike of you."

The kid's bravado wavered. "O-oh yeah? Well what are you going to do?"

Miyami's grip on the boy's tunic tightened and Chaya saw the glint of one of her canines. "Well I don't know, kid, that depends on you – can you run?"

As though he suddenly understood something, the younger boy squeaked and dug a three-and-a-half inch floppy out of his sling bag, tossing it upwards. Miyami let go of it to catch him and the boy took this opportunity to escape, running off and out of the farm as though the devil were on his heals. But not before he yelled behind him, "You're all washed up, Rei! Because with out your bitbeast you don't have anything at all!"

The Bladebreakers watched the boy's disappearance and almost as though linked, the rain began to let up; a mist began to spring up over the ground. Rei still stood still in the middle of the dish, looking at his blade like he couldn't understand it at all. For a moment Chaya thought he would stay there all night, but moments later, he moved, slowly stepping out of the dish.

His gaze didn't leave the blade.

There was a sudden movement beside her and she was surprised to see Kai walking towards Rei, a set look on his face. For a moment she expected him to stop and say something reassuring. He did stop, but to her shock, he didn't even look at Rei, preferring to look off into the distance where Ken-zhi had disappeared. "You had the chance to beat him, yet you let him win. What kind of beyblader are you? I didn't expect that from you Kon." Although he didn't otherwise move, his eye fell upon the Chinese blader.

"I-I…"

"You let the power of your Drigger slip right through your fingers, and now you're left with nothing Kon. You know I always thought you were smarter than that, but I guess…I was wrong –"

"You shut up!" Chaya yelled, stomping forward, her feet hitting the cobblestones so hard that she felt jabs from tiny stones pricking her foot. "You have no idea what it's like –"

"It doesn't matter, you know I'm right," for the first time that she could honestly say, Kai turned and looked her straight into the eyes. "He was stupid. He was too soft and it cost him the power of –"

"It's not the power that I'm having issues with!" Chaya said shrilly. "Yes, Rei made a mistake – excuse me, Mr. Wonderful, considering that some people are not perfect! And as you might know, as imperfect as we are, people tend to make mistakes. It wouldn't pain you too much to descend from your cloud and join the rest of the people on earth. I highly doubt the only thing that Rei just lost was a whole bowl of power – in case you didn't notice, his bond to Drigger is stronger than any of ours with our bitbeasts – including you and Dranzer!"

For a second Kai looked as though she had physically hit her, before he shrugged sourly at her and continued to walk away. "Whatever."

Her fists were still clenched and she looked back to see her entire team, sans Rei, looking at her in a kind of shocked awe. Looking furiously away from them, she forced back the angry tears that threatened to fall and stalked off in the opposite direction, not wanting to meet up with any other person on her team.

The air was cold against her wet hair and skin and she wanted to scream.

Reaching the back entrance of the farm house she felt an immediate swell of warmth, the air now dry instead of its drizzling rain. For a long moment she merely stood in the doorway of the outside and the kitchen, feeling the water from her hair and clothing drip down onto the floor and absently hoping she wasn't making too much of a mess.

"You know," a low voice said quietly, making Chaya jump. She looked up to see Lin sitting at the table stirring a cup of warm milk. "That Bai Hu boy – he is of an old clan."

"You're point?" Chaya asked, not bothering with her surprise that Lin was awake or seemed to know what had just transpired.

The woman looked up at her with a raised eyebrow, before tossing her a towel. "He would have answers for you – if you're really intent on them."

"After what he just did, the next time I see him I'll kill him," Chaya said vehemently, mopping her face with the towel. Lin sent her an unimpressed look.

"So, your search means less than a petty grudge?" she stood up, tea in hand and moved to leave. "I might have known…"

And before she could say another word, Chaya found herself all alone.

'Great, just great. Rei's lost his bitbeast to a little jerk that I have to find and talk to now…just because I don't want my stupid bitbeast to drive me insane…what else could go wrong?"

There was a loud clap of thunder and lightening and after a pause, Chaya hurriedly moved towards the table to rap on the thick wood. There was no point in angering Fate even more…

* * *

This chapter was muy hard to get out. Gomen for the wait,

R&R please,

Kuriness


	11. Chapter Ten

The Underdog Syndrome

**Author**: KuriQuinn

**Title**: The underdog Syndrome

**Fandom**: Beyblade

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Beyblade, but if I did I'd probably be rich and still reading fanfiction

**Pairing**: I'll never tell…

**Rating**: PG-13 for language

**Summary**: A teen with heavy emotional baggage is suddenly thrown back into the world of beyblading, only to be thrown a series of lives curveballs a day at a time.

**Takes Place:** Series

**Note**: A big thank you to Freezen who corrected my Chinese – I've gone back and corrected any of the errors I might have made regarding that, but if you see any more Chinese errors, please tell me. I'm not going to pretend I actually speak the language, but it's nice to have someone watching my back and telling me the difference. So, xie xie. (-0as she attempts yet again…0-)

**Note2: **Recently I got some fan art from Lady Deathscythe and Omnimalevolent, which I found to be a really nice gesture. I love seeing how you guys picture what happens in my stories and believe it or not, I get a lot of ideas from your pictures. Fan art's always appreciated on this end, even if it's not for one of my fics, _anything_ is nice. So don't hold back from sending me your work, I love to browse. Ciaoza, Kuri

* * *

>0 

_November 2, 2001_

Whatever chance that Chaya had had of sleeping that night before Rei's impromptu loss of his bitbeast had completely disappeared with the pouring rain. She had listened to the soothing urges of her friends and teammates as they tried to comfort him and how they were met with silence, but she hadn't been able to join them. She wanted to tell Rei that it would all be alright, but the events of the night before had completely stolen her ability to formulate speech.

She lay in the futon for hours, staring up at the ceiling, unable to sleep as she listened to the rhythmic breathing of her roommate. Miyami hadn't dropped off to sleep immediately, choosing instead to rant and complain about the injustice of Rei's loss until she had fallen drifted off, but it had been long enough ago that Chaya was beginning to wonder how long she had been staring listlessly at the ceiling.

The rain had ended, but the rolling thunder growled in a subdued manner outside the small farm house.

_'If you ask me, you should let sleeping dogs lie.'_

Lin's voice seemed to echo in her head, making her frown in contemplation. Just letting the entire thing go completely without answering it wasn't as easy as the old woman made it out to be. If she allowed Zorn to completely disrupt her life it might escalate. She had already showed that she was capable of influencing Chaya's life outside the beystadium – and Chaya had the bruises to prove it. What if the more power she gained, the less in touch Chaya was with the world? The bitbeast could lead her in a far worse direction than merely driving her out of her mind – she could indirectly cause harm to others.

Chaya wasn't willing to let that happen.

"_..It's only the old families that still know about bitbeasts and what they are – my best advice to you is to not fool around with such things as the sacred spirits. No good can come of it…but…pursue your knowledge if you can with members of the old clans – and I do mean ancient…But don't search out anything until you can divine with your own eyes…what you learn will mean nothing to you until you can understand the terms…"_

'Whatever the means,' Chaya moaned inwardly, shifting around to lie on her side. The sounds of the outside were loud in her ears despite the wall between her and the exterior of the house. By now her open eyes were so used to the dark that she could make out all the shapes of the rooms furniture with ease.

"_You know…that Bai Hu boy – he is of an old clan."_

"_Your point?"_

"_He would have answers for you – if you're really intent on them."_

Her fists clenched tightly, nails scraping the palms of her hands roughly. So what if that brat Ken-zhi was of an old clan? He was an immature, sneaky brat and probably didn't know anything about anything. Besides, from what she had seen of his entire team, who were part of the same clan, he wouldn't be the one in the know.

Lai was obviously a wise one, she reflected, scratching an itch on her elbow and then burrowing beneath the blankets again, searching for a comfortable position that would help her sleep. But he also held a grudge so strong against Rai that it would be suicide to think that he would help her, one of Rei's new teammates. Mao – that wasn't even an option. She felt an angry flush spring over her cheeks at the thought of the pink haired Chinese girl. That one was too proud and too much of a conceited girly-girl to say anything to her – and there was no way that Chaya would deign herself to beg. As for Gao – Chaya wasn't sure if he had two brain cells to rub together.

The only other person who might have some insight into the matter was Rei. But after what he had just been through, Chaya greatly doubted he would want to focus himself on her personal quest for knowledge. He was probably still grieving the loss of Drigger.

'So, the only people possible to tell me anything are a cocky brat and a grief-stricken teammate. This is really good,' she thought grimly, glaring up at the ceiling yet again. The shadows weren't so dark any longer and she thought she could see a hint of color outside the blinds. Had she really been awake so long that dawn was no breaking over the outside?

Miyami groaned, turning over in her sleep, but didn't stir again.

Giving up, Chaya heaved herself into a sitting position, staring down at her toes which where hidden beneath the blanket. Beyond her were the books that she had brought with her, including the ones that Alan had sent. They were useless to her, really. None of them could tell her anything that she was seeking – there was a chance that the Bai Hu clan could know something, but was she willing to take that risk?

As though bid there to answer her, there was a dark sigh in her head, making the world around her flicker in its dark wake. She shut her eyes tightly, waiting for the dizzying moment to pass. When it did, she steeled herself and slowly stood up.

She would take any risk at the moment.

Swiftly and silently, she gathered up the clothing she had worn the day before, as well a hooded sweater and her small travelers Mandarin-English dictionary and crept towards the door. Just as she was crossing the threshold, one of the floorboards beneath her feet creaked loudly.

She froze, inching around to glance at Miyami, who thankfully, was still soundly asleep. For a long moment she didn't move, incase she was just being waited out. But when it became apparent that Miyami wasn't going to move or give any signs of being awake, she slipped out of their door and down the hall towards the bathroom.

Even though she looked back at least three times to make sure that her friend was still asleep, she couldn't shake the feeling that someone's eyes were on her.

'I don't even know where they stay,' Chaya thought grimly as she snuck into the bathroom and pulled on her jeans and black tank-top. After a moment of deliberation, she pulled the sweater on as well. Even though the weather was relatively warm compared to some of the places she had been, it was still rather chilly in the mornings. 'And I don't speak Chinese. And I don't even like them. So why the hell am I doing this!'

She knew there was an answer, but at the moment, it didn't seem to want to present itself.

The hallways were still clear of her friends when she left the bathroom and moved towards the front door, glancing in on Daitenji-san's room and then Lin's room to see if they were awake. In both instances, the seniors were sound asleep, which allowed Chaya to draw out a sigh of relief. It occurred to her that she should possibly leave a note to wherever she was going, but that might lead her friends to search for her. There were no beyblade matches that day, which left the team to their training and a minimal amount of free-time. They might go looking for her and the get the wrong idea.

Nodding her head once to herself, she finally made it out the back-door of the kitchen and out into the yard of the farm. The rain had left numerous small puddles all over the cobblestones and especially in the training beydishes that surrounded the farm. The air was damp and cool, which although pleasant, still made Chaya shiver.

Looking around, she tried to orient herself and remember which direction the town was in. There was no doubt that she could easily hitch a ride should a car come by – the chances of one of the farming types being a serial rapist or murderer were slim in this country. 'Besides', Chaya thought grimly, 'I doubt Zorn would allow that much to happen to me without dishing out some pain.'

She was just starting out on the path towards the road, when all of a sudden she felt someone's presence and a hand clamped over her mouth, stifling her scream of surprise. Whoever it was managed to trap her arms to her sides and she couldn't even maneuver her legs around to kick out behind her. The person was strong and before she knew what was happening, she had been dragged out of the farmyard and towards the gravel street.

It was only then that she was released, and when she turned around, she nearly screamed out loud.

"REI!" her yell turned into more of a hiss when he motioned for her to remain quiet, but she did manage to reach forward and smack him upside the head. "You scared me!"

"Sorry," he shrugged, looking a little sheepish although the drawn, serious expression that she had seen on his face the night before remained there. "Chaya, what are you doing out here?"

"I could say the same for you," she replied in an accusing tone, refraining from saying anything about her plans to meet up with the very person that had just put Rei through so much misery.

Rei looked withdrawn, as though he didn't want to say something, before settling on, "I have to leave."

She frowned, not understanding. "What? Why?"

Again, the uncomfortable, shifting glance. "I have to find a way to get Drigger back. I'll come back when I have him."

Although this didn't surprise her, the knowledge that he was thinking about leaving did. "I don't…understand. Where –"

"It doesn't matter," Rei said unconcernedly. "But unless you're planning on a morning jog, you should get back inside the farm-house. Everyone's going to be wondering where you are."

"And you," Chaya added, a sudden note of worry flickering at the back of her mind. Rei was speaking as though the team would be better of without him and wouldn't care if he were gone. She paused, a sudden need to make sure he would return moving her. "Rei, where are you going? I'll go with you –"

"No." His voice was firm and almost as intense as his gaze was. It made her shiver. "I need to do this alone."

"But what if you keep on having to do this alone?"

Her words surprised even her and she felt her cheeks heat up. She hadn't meant to say something like that. It sounded as though she had actually taken to heart what Ken-zhi had said about Rei deserting them. She didn't believe it for an instant, but the way she had said it…

Rei studied her intensely for another moment, before looking away. "I get it."

She blinked, confused.

"You're afraid that I won't come back."

"Will you?" she asked, again wanting to hit herself for the way she sounded.

This time Rei didn't meat her gaze. "I don't know yet. It all…depends."

"Depends on what?" Rei looked uncomfortable, and for a moment the idea returned about him deserting them. The memory of Mao's offer in the streets of Hong Kong were clear in her mind. '_Catch you later, Rei, and remember! It's not over yet!'_ "Depends on whether the Bai Hu take you back?"

A spark of anger flickered in Rei's eyes. "Don't go there, Chaya."

"No, you don't go there," she replied instantly. She tensed, suddenly feeling as though the air was convulsing around her and her teammate. "If you even think of joining them again you'll just be proving them right – that you're a traitor. Twice over."

Rei looked as though he honestly wanted to hit her but was refraining merely on account of her being one of his friends. 'Or former friends,' Chaya thought. 'I doubt he'll want to be around me after what I just said.'

As though reading her thoughts, he turned and began walking away, towards the huge mountains in the area. She merely stood still for a long moment, watching him disappear, tempted to say something and to stop him, but never finding the words. A choking feeling was upon her, but for some reason she didn't feel as though it had anything to do with Rei.

'No matter,' she thought, trying to steel herself towards her task. She turned in the opposite direction from Rei, deciding that if the mountains were in the direction that he had gone, the town would be in the other. 'I can't dwell on that now. Rei will be fine. He wants to be alone anyway…'

She hoped.

Finding the inn where the Bai Hu were staying was not an easy task. In fact, Chaya was sure that she had been led there by divine intervention considering how bad her sense of direction was and how sparsely populated the farmlands were. After a few badly pronounced phrases thanks to her Mandarin translation book and quite a few unimpressed glares, Chaya had been pointed in the direction of a small farming inn that was located on the outskirts of the town.

Approaching it, Chaya had been careful to remain silent and as far into the shadows as was possible. Although she was seeking a member of the Bai Hu team, she really didn't want to meet up with all of them at once. Her hope was that they would be training and that she could somehow lure the annoying little brat away from the group and strike up a deal with him.

And if not, she could always go for the hidden net technique, although that always tended to backfire when she attempted it.

She expected to come upon their training area and have to sneak around looking for Ken-zhi, but to her surprise, when she snuck into the surrounding trees, the only bladers she could recognize where Lai and Gao. Mao and Ken-zhi were nowhere to be seen.

She wasn't close enough to hear what they were saying and she didn't trust herself to sneak up on them – the Bai Hu members' sense of hearing was stronger than hers. In fact, the only people she knew whose hearing could possibly rival them were Rei and Miyami. So, resignedly, she slipped around the back towards the entrance of the inn, hoping to locate the elusive member of the Bai Hu team or at least a clue to his location. And if she ran into Mao, so help her…!

Luckily for her, she found her prey (alone), snoozing on a small futon in one of the rooms of the inn. For some reason all of the doors were open and the place was deserted.

She was just about to step into the room where the boy was sleeping, when there was creak of her foot against the wood and with a cry, the younger boy was instantly standing, hunched over defensively and glaring at her as though preparing to ward off an attack.

"What are you doing here? What do you want?" he demanded, his voice holding a strange, cat-like hiss to it. Somehow he had pulled his beyblade and launcher out of nowhere and was aiming it at her defensively.

"For you to shut up and be quiet?" the American suggested, trying to keep the ire out of her already annoyed voice. "I have questions and I want answers. And you're going to give them to me."

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" he sneered at her, hunching forward even more.

Chaya opened her mouth to reply to that but found that she had no answer. She had spent most of her journey to the inn debating with herself as to why she was even bothering to come up with enough of a reason to get him to talk to her. She had never factored in the minor detail that he would be about as willing as any of his teammates to help her out.

Especially after what he had done last night, she reminded herself, her eyes narrowing slightly as she thought about it. It was no wonder that he was edgy when he hat noticed that she was intruding into his room. The battle last night had been enough to prove that the tensions between the Bai Hu and the Bladebreakers were at an all-time high. Or at least between then Bladebreakers and Ken-zhi. There was a doubt on Chaya's mind that his teammates even knew about his involvement in…

'…Wait a minute,' she nearly grinned out loud at the thought. 'Ken-zhi couldn't have told his teammates, or he'd be in trouble! There's that whole code that they have against blading outside of the tournament!'

"Because if you don't I'll let it slip that last night you battled with Rei and caused him to lose his bitbeast," she said triumphantly, straightening up and sending him a challenging look.

Without missing a beat, Ken-zhi stared her down as he too straightened up, his entire demeanor changing to casual and calm. She recognized this as a defense technique to aid his bluff. Even the air around him seemed charged with the strong contention to her words. "And what makes you think that they don't already know?"

She raised an eyebrow, her mind instantly running through the possibilities of that having already happened. No way, she was not going to lose her only bargaining chip to someone who could bluff not even as well as she could. "You'd be in deep shit if they knew. You're already in trouble for blading with Takao back in Hong Kong – if they found out about last night I doubt they'd even let you come to the finals. They could always get that nunchuck kid to fill in for you."

Ken-zhi scoffed, although she noticed the way he begin to break out into a nervous sweat. "You act as though you already know the rules."

"Rei told us everything," Chaya lied, although she fashioned a smug grin to make the brat think that she knew everything. It was a last ditch attempt.

Ken-zhi's eyes were riveted on her face, looking for a source of weakness or a sign to show that she was faking her words. It was almost as if he was debating with himself whether to risk it and put it to the test and stay safe. She waited, patiently although it seemed forever and it was as though her blood had slowed in her veins.

She felt the urge to blink and forced it down, not wanting to ruin her attempt at reeling Ken-zhi in. Instead she slowly and deliberately crossed her arms, making the rest of her image seem more intense.

He looked away.

Inwardly, Chaya cheered.

"I can't talk to you here," was the grudging, whining voice of one who had lost an intense battle. "They'll think I'm leaking team secrets – and let me lay it down straight, girly, if that's what this is you can take your threats and shove 'em where the sun don't shine – "

"Cut the crap, kid, I don't cheat – and if even I did it wouldn't be as openly as like that," Chaya replied coolly. "I don't want to know about your team secrets any more than you want to know about Takao's bathroom habits, so let's keep it at that – where and when?"

"An hour," Ken-zhi said, glancing out of the window into the courtyard. "The Ying Kee tea house. Don't be late."

Chaya took this as her cue to leave and nodded, biting back a remark and walked back down the hallway that she had come from. Careful to keep silent lest Ken-zhi's teammates might come in the way she was trying to leave, she made sure to double check everything before she snuck out of the inn and ran as fast as she could down the path, not bothering to stop until she came to a small fork in the road on the way to the town.

It then occurred to her that she hadn't asked for directions to this tea house thing that the Chinese brat had been talking about. Chaya nearly slapped herself.

'Why am I such an idiot? Why do I never bother asking for directions? Why do I never _listen_!' she berated herself, outwardly swearing in a string of curses that were in any language that she could think of. A passing man sent her a funny look which she ignored and huffily started on her way down the gravel street towards the town. If she was lucky someone would speak English and Japanese and she would be able to ask for directions…

If she wasn't lucky…she gripped her travel book tightly to her through the leather of her bag. She just hoped she was lucky…

She felt herself growing restless, thoughts that Ken-zhi might merely have sent her off to avoid conflict and possibly prepare something to tell his teammates in case she decided to come back and tell them what he had done. She wouldn't put it past him to break their deal, but at the moment she didn't have the time or the patience to go back and wait around for him.

As she walked, an increasing sense of being watched fell upon her. The road was shaded by tree which despite their beauty were a hindrance when she attempted to see who or what was following her. It was the same feeling that she had had when she had left the Lin farm and for a moment wondered if maybe it was Rei again, when she remembered that Rei was angry at her and that he had gone in the opposite direction, towards the mountain.

Besides, this annoying stare was identical to what she had felt earlier that morning as she first left the building. She had only ever felt such an intense stare in two instances – the first when she had been battling in the Japanese nationals and the second when she had been following her friends into the alleyways back in Hong Kong. Her mind could hazard a guess as to whom the gaze had belonged to the first time and it was so highly unlikely that Kai would be following her around that she nearly laughed.

Miyami on the other hand…

Chaya didn't bother to hesitate, digging into her back in a flash and pulling out her blade, ripping the ready cord quickly so that the blade went spinning back towards the bark of one of the trees – or rather, behind it, nearly nicking the pale skin of one amused looking Japanese girl.

Before Chaya even noticed it, however, there was another flash and her blade was spinning back at her full-throttle, Miyami's hands around a gleaming silver launcher. Chaya caught her blade inches before it hit her face, watching as Miyami did the same, grinning over at her.

"I wondered when you'd notice I was following you," she said cheerfully as she put away the blade and launcher. Chaya had barely seen it – but that was the way it was. Even when Miyami had been part of the international team so long ago, her blade was one of the fastest and couldn't be seen, something Chaya had always admired.

Her friend pushed back a long string of silver hair and narrowed her eyes at her, a sudden steel to her otherwise friendly demeanor. "What were you doing at the Bai Hu fort?"

"None of your business," Chaya replied, her tone still civil although it too had become more firm. Miyami knew nothing about her little bitbeast problem and it was safer if that was the way things stayed, considering Chaya was taking the most precautions that it wouldn't come back to her twin.

"O-kay, let's try this another way," her friends said, the cocky grin that reminded Chaya of Takao tugging at the corners of her lips. "What kind of questions did you want to ask that brat that made Rei lose his bitbeast?"

Chaya gaped.

She hadn't been aware of how far back Miyami had started following her. It seemed as though she had been tailing her since the farm house and then followed her to the place where the Bai Hu stayed. And obviously closer than Chaya had realized.

"How much did you hear?" she asked, grimacing.

Miyami cocked her head to one side, a superior glint shining in her eyes. "You mean of your conversation with the brat or all that mumbling you did on your way to said brat?"

Again, Chaya was shocked. The knowledge that Miyami now had an inkling as to what she was preoccupied with made her feel a little winded. What if she told – what if she thought she was insane – what of…? The questions were numerous in her mind as she numbly watched Miyami stride forward, intent on the direction that Chaya had been going towards. She passed a few feet in front of Chaya, before looking back, a different expression now on her face. This time it was sympathetic.

"So, does your obsession with bitbeasts have to do with your psycho one?" Was it possible to be more surprised than Chaya was at this moment? She didn't think so. She began to ask the question, when Miyami laughed and cut her off. "You really think I didn't know who you were? I watched Vancouver Island 1994 just like every other serious blader. It's what made me want to be a blader. When I saw how much it took just to wield a blade let alone do all that crazy shit that you did?" Miyami's grin slowly faded. "I really thought you were going to win that one, but then –"

"I screwed it up, yeah, yeah, I'm never going to get away from that," Chaya groaned, shoving her hands into her pockets.

Miyami was watching her expectantly, and after a long moment, Chaya sighed in resignation. "You're not going to tell anyone about this, right? Especially not Max?"

"Dude, you think I would rat on you to your brother?" Miyami raised her eyebrows. "I'm insulted."

"Don't be, it's a serious concern," Chaya explained. "He'd freak out and make me quit the entire thing if he found out."

"Found out…what exactly? You still haven't told me?"

"After Vancouver Island my family tried to get me to get rid of Zorn and stop blading," Chaya recalled, trying to summarize what had happened as quickly as she could. "I didn't want to – I thought they were making such a big deal out of such a small thing. So I hid Zorn and said I'd lost her and stopped just so they'd leave me alone.

'But that didn't mean Zorn had decided she was done with me. I had to beyblade, even if it meant sneaking out in the middle of the night to do it. I had to practice, had to train my willpower, had to use Zorn – and then one night I got a real scare. I was blading out in the park near our house around midnight and I managed to do a complete rotation-reversal maneuver in less than a second –" she could sense Miyami's shocked stare. It was common knowledge that it took even the experts at least half a minute to change rotation direction on a beyblade without having had external influence on the blade. To switch it cold turkey in less than that was considered impossible. "– but the blade didn't lose energy after that like you'd think. It kept going. I was spinning way fast, and the faster it spun the dark things seemed to be getting and the more I couldn't hold myself up.

'And all I remember is everything going dark, then cold – and then I was waking up at home and my parents were asking me what I'd been doing outside. I was just lying in the sand-box. They didn't mention anything about a beyblade and when I went back a few days later all I could see were fragments."

The two girls had begun to walk towards the town and Miyami was sending her glances from beneath her eyeslashes. "So…I don't get it. The freaky-deaky bitbeast made you black out? That's why you need to know about bitbeasts? Can't you just get what you're looking for in a bookstore or something?"

"I've already tried that – 'sides, you didn't hear me out. Zorn's way to powerful than a bitbeast should be. I mean, you don't see Takao or Max or Rei or even Kai blacking out or having their very energy sapped in every battle they participate in," Chaya pointed out. "It only ever happens to me. And even though I've tried – I stopped beyblading for almost five years – I can't get rid of her. She made me have really screwed up nightmares and black-out flashes for all that time. And if I don't find out if there's a way to get rid of her or cope with her or something, she might hurt people that I'm close to."

Miyami was now staring at her without bothering to hide her utter confusion. "You looked that much into it? I mean, are you sure you're not just –"

"Completely insane?" Chaya deadpanned. Miyami winced when she realized that Chaya had voiced exactly what she had been thinking. "I guess this isn't the time to tell you that she talks to me too."

"Okay, now you're joking," Miyami's tone was injured as though Chaya hadn't been telling her the truth from the beginning.

Chaya considered attempting to get Zorn to show up and prove her point but could somehow forsee the response as not being favorable, and therefore merely shrugged and said. "I told you what I told you. It's true and if you don't believe me that's your problem. I didn't want to tell you to begin with."

Miyami pouted, and then crossed her arms. "Well fine, if you're going to be like that." She perked up almost immediately. "So what exactly is it that you're looking for?"

"Truthfully? Absolutely no clue."

"Oh yeah, that helps," Miyami snorted, looking up ahead. "Okay, Mona Lisa, keep your secrets but eventually I'll find out – now what did the brat say the name of the tea shop was?"

"Ying Kee," Chaya muttered, her voice once again betraying her ire at her friend having been following her. "But unless you can read Chinese we're both screwed and have to ask for directions."

"Uh…that would be a negative," Miyami mumbled, more to herself than to Chaya.

Chaya glared. "Than what was the use of you following me if you don't know where we're going any more than I do?"

"Hey, I thought you were located!"

"Well you thought wrong!"

The two girls glared at each other for a long moment, before Chaya growled loudly and pulled out her travel books. This was not going to be a pleasant experience.

(-)

"Qĭngwèn! Qĭngwèn!" Chaya called out, her voice betraying her lethargy and exasperation as she stopped a woman on her way to one of the shops in the town. "Uh…Ying Kee…tea shop… zai na li?"

She and Miyami had been trying to get peoples attention for a quarter of an hour now without much luck, even though they had tried speaking every language they could think of in addition to the broken Mandarin that Chaya's guide book had taught them but weren't going far. Even when they managed to stop someone on their way somewhere and ask the question, both of their pronunciation was so horrible that no one would understand what they were saying.

The woman Chaya had flagged down frowned at her as though in concentration and then brightened up, babbling in an excited manner and pointing down a street that lay to the right of where they were standing at the moment. And then she walked off as though she had actually helped the two girls.

"Did you get anything that she just said?" Chaya asked, disgruntled and discouraged, instantly regretting having ever started out on this ridiculous endeavour. She felt like a complete fool.

"Besides the word 'straight'? Nope," Miyami said, grinning stupidly. "I guess considering she was pointing right we should go in that direction."

"Yeah, well, it doesn't help if we can't read the signs," Chaya shot back. She felt like her bad mood was ebbing out of her and staining the air around her. Even Miyami seemed to be getting a little nervous and antsy under the powerful glare that Chaya was sending out.

"Question – why don't they speak English around here?" her friend said, trying to steer clear of danger. "You'd think that it being an international language and all people would at least understand it."

Chaya was about to reply, when she caught sight of a flash of blue dart around a building and into the door of a small doorway in the same direction that she had been directed by the woman. She barely recognized it as Ken-zhi before it disappeared, but it was enough for her. Without a word, she gestured at Miyami to follow her, hurrying towards the small house.

Upon reaching the place Chaya glanced within, able to make out the forms of people sitting and drinking tea within the shop. She couldn't make out the form of the youngest member of the Bai Hu team and decided to go in, ignoring Miyami's loud whispers asking her what was going on and was she sure that this was the place?

The interior of the tea house was small and darkly lit, the smell of spices and smoke present. A few patrons sat near the window eating dim sum or something of the sort, while others sat back conversing in rapid Chinese and drinking their tea. It took a few moments for Chaya to make out Ken-zhi, sitting at a corner table where he was almost invisible.

He had noticed them the minute they entered, Chaya was sure, and although he was looking down at the table almost pensively, she could sense the sharp gaze that was focused on her and Miyami. Then again, most of the tea house had suddenly focused on them.

When they arrived in front of the table, Ken-zhi looked up and glared at Chaya, then at Miyami. "What'd you bring her for? I thought this was between you and me!"

"It is – she just showed up," Chaya replied. "Nothing I could do about it. "Now – "

"If you change the deal, maybe I should to," Ken-zhi interrupted, looking around. "Just to keep it even."

"What are you going on about?" Miyami demanded. "Jesus, you're making this seem like some sort of Mafia deal!"

"Shush, Miyami," Chaya rolled her eyes, focusing on Ken-zhi and practically challenging him to do something stupid. "Okay kid, what do you want?"

"Hm…lunch," the kid replied, a cat-like grin spreading across his face. "I missed breakfast so I'm hungry."

Chaya refrained from laughing at this, but nodded, indicating for him to order despite Miyami's various loud protests and slight insults. As soon as they sat down and the order had gone through, the three were alone again. Chaya cleared her throat. "Alright, can we get the show on the road now?"

"Whatever," the kid snorted, earning an annoyed glance from Miyami. "What was so important that you wanted to know?"

"Bitbeasts," Chaya said plainly, corssing her arms.

"Yeah, tell us everything that we want to know!"

"Miyami, there's no we…"

"Yeah, but it's more impressive when there's a plural. Besides, I thought we were going with the good-cop-bad-cop routine?"

"Do me a favour…shut up."

"Shutting up."

"I meant now."

"You two are morons," Ken-zhi drawled in a reproachful voice that was amusing when Chaya looked at his face. He narrowed his eyes at her. "And didn't I tell you I wasn't giving you any information on my team's – "

"Hold it right there, buddy, I already told you I don't want to know anything about your team," Chaya snapped. "Why do you always assume stuff like that? I meant, bitbeasts in general."

Ken-zhi sent her a disgusted look. "You got me down here with all that stupid-spy-crap just to ask me a question that you could have looked up in any local book-store or on the back of any little kids toy-pack?" He began to get up. "I didn't think I'd wasted my time so badly, but –"

"Sit your ass down and don't move," Chaya hissed, her voice sounding rougher to her than she had intended. She felt an air of impatience around her that although not unexpected, didn't feel like her own. Ken-zhi, in turn, had suddenly gone pale and slowly sat down again, his eyes never leaving her face. Chaya took a deep breath, hoping to calm herself and then smiled wearily. "Now look. Just hear me out – what I want to know about bitbeasts isn't written in any of the books, trust me, I've looked. All they say are useless little blurbs about how they're powerful forces that beybladers have used for centuries. But they don't tell me how that's possible considering beyblading only came back with a vengeance about fifteen years ago. So, how long have they really been around and what are they exactly – they can't exist just for bladers, right?"

Ken-zhi was defensive again, although his demeanour reminded Chaya of that of a chastised child's. "What makes you think that I know anything?"

"Because you're from an old clan and you'd know this stuff. That and if you decide that you don't know anything, I'll have to not only use the blackmail on you but I will be forced to beat the crud out of you and steal your boots."

The young boy obviously couldn't tell whether Chaya was being serious or not and for a moment looked as though he was going to clam up, before letting out an intake of breath and nodding. "Okay, little girl, I'll tell you what you want to know – but don't shoot the messenger if this is wrong, it's only what I grew up hearing."

Chaya nodded, waiting expectantly. Ken-zhi took a sip of tea, before putting it down and clearing his throat. "Bitbeasts, first of all, didn't start out as bitbeasts. They're sacred spirits and among the clan we tend to call them that and not degrade them as the bitbeasts they've become. It's a respect thing. Anyway – my clan believes that they've existed long before human beings appeared on the scene and maybe even long before the world was created. The really old people back home actually believe that it's the sacred spirits that created everything in existence through some kind of balance of principal. And there was something that happened that made all of the sacred spirits suddenly begin to disappear – they can only manifest themselves in nature and the process of life – or more corporally in our bitbeasts. But no one knows how the bitbeasts came about," he shrugged, as though ending his tale. "For example, your buddy Ray's Drigger –" here his eyes glinted in anger and betrayal. "His sacred spirit has been passed down in our clan for generations back before anyone can remember where we got it from. The same for all of the other Bai Hu sacred spirits."

Chaya blinked as she digested this piece of information. So, Zorn was some kind of spirit that might possibly have helped create the word? 'No pressure then,' she thought wryly, frowning. 'Manifesting in nature though…' "Do you mean to say that even today, in every day life there are bitb – sacred spirits flying around freely?"

"That's what we believe, yes," Ken-zhi nodded. "But that belief was long ago over-run by other religions so that it's almost forgotten. It's rare that you will find a group of people that believe in the myths of the sacred spirits."

"Is there a way to commune with them?" the next question surprised Chaya just as much as it did the other two bladers. They stared at her as though she was insane, but she kept talking. "And possibly be able to see them and recognize their form?"

Ken-zhi was open-mouthed, before frowning at her. "Is that what you want? To recognize their forms? Why?"

"Because I have to be able to divine with my own eyes to be able understand what I'm looking for," Chaya replied, echoing Lin Nai-Nai's words.

This time, Ken-zhi seemed grudgingly impressed, as though he suddenly realized that what she was looking for was beyond the ability to explain. However, he kept his usual aloof and disgruntled manner with her, even as he told her, "Good luck with that. Even in our clan there have only been two people in a century that have had that power – and it's passed through bloodlines apparently, so I doubt you'll be able to do it. You should just give up now."

The look she gave him must have been terrifying, because he suddenly cleared his throat and swallowed heavily, before babbling, "But if you still want to at least _try_ before you fail, I might be able to help you out. There's a shop here in Xining that's run by a friend of the clan's – here –" Producing a pencil and scrap of paper practically from nowhere, he jotted something down and handed it to Chaya. She tried to read it, but it was written in messy Chinese characters that she knew she had no chance of finding out. "– it's a bookstore on the edge of town. The only one, so you can't miss it. That should help you out. So, are we done? You won't bug me any more?"

He seemed nervous all of a sudden, and was jumping up to go.

"Yeah, sure," Chaya murmured, looking down at the scrap of paper thoughtfully. He took off out of the restaurant.

"Yeah!" Miyami called after him, speaking for the first time since Chaya had asked her to shut up. "Next time we won't go so easy on you!"

The blond American sent her friend a wry look out of the corner of her eye. "There you go with that _we_ stuff again."

"Uh…heh heh?" Miyami coughed, pretending that she hadn't said anything. "So, oh mysterious Chaya-lady, where to now?"

"Back to the Lin farm," Chaya replied as she tucked the paper away into her jeans pocket and got up to leave, looking out at what she could recognize as the setting sun. She dug into her pockets for some of the money that Gamma Yoshi had given her, ready to pay for Ken-zhi's lunch. "I'll have to go wherever this is another time – the guys are probably wondering where we are."

"Yeah, considering Ray also left today – I bet they think we all deserted the team."

Chaya winced suddenly, realizing that this was exactly what it seemed. "Okay, we need an alibi – I guess we do have to make at least one more stop before going back to the farm."

"Ooh, ooh, where to?" Miyami was excited all of a sudden as they walked out of the tea house and back into the small streets of the town. She was almost positively jumping up and down on the balls of her feet and Chaya was reminded of a little kid that had just gotten free candy.

"Depends…how much money have you got on you?"

(-)

"Ugh, I'm so tired I think I'll collapse," Chaya moaned as the two girls entered the courtyard area of the Lin farm and trudged up to the entrance. Actually, it was Chaya that was trudging. Miyami was bouncing about cheerfully as though everything was right in the world.

"I don't know what you're complaining about – I though blonds are supposed to love shopping?" Miyami chatted, grinning at her friend. Chaya sent her a dirty look.

"You do know that stereotyping is a sin before God, right?"

"Uh huh, sure – I don't recall seeing anything like that in the Ten Commandments, so nyah," the Catholic girl stuck out her tongue and Chaya rolled her eyes. She didn't have the energy to talk right now.

"Where have you two been!"

Both the girls jumped in surprise as the porch doors of the Lin farm suddenly slammed open and Takao bounded down towards them, followed by Max, Rei, Kyoujiu, Daitenji-san and finally – to Chaya's surprise – Kai.

"We were worried sick about you two and your homework wasn't done today – at least Ray had the decency to leave a note, but you two could have been anywhere – " Daitenji-san's fretting was cut off by Takao, who practically butted his face in front of Chaya's and Miyami's and began to talk louder, drowning the old man out.

"You two missed the coolest day – Rei left and we thought that he was going to leave us for good so me and Maxie followed him and there was a battle with Mao up on the mountain and Rei totally smoked me even though he didn't have Drigger and there was a choice if he would quit the team and he chose us over that annoying pink haired girl and then we went down the mountain and Max nearly fell and I saved him – "

"– you did not, Takao, Rei did, you were too busy freaking out over the height – "

" – don't listen to him, the trauma was too much for him – anyway, we got back here and the only person that was still around here was Hiwatari-sama because Kyoujiu went to the noodle-house with Daitenji-san and so the jerk made us train because we were missing but he didn't make Ray do anything and – "

A shrill, piercing whistle cut Takao off as he, as well as the rest of the team save for Kai and Rei, who held his middle finger and thumb to his lips to cause the loud noise. Kai was frowning, considering his close proximity to Rei and the effect of the sound on his ears, but that seemed to be the only indication of having noticed the sound. Takao and Max were suddenly silent, while Miyami and Chaya dropped the bags that they had been carrying and clapped their hands over their ears.

"Okay, guys, chill," Rei said, lowering his fingers and grinning in a cat-like way at the two boys. Takao began to complain about Rei shattering his ear drums while Max rolled his eye at his friend. Rei wasn't listening and nodded over at Chaya and Miyami. "So, where did you two go?"

Chaya knew for a fact that Rei knew she had started out alone and was obviously surprised that Miyami was with her. Also, his eyes still held a steely gleam in them, telling Chaya he was still at least slightly angry at her. Her mind ran over her comments from earlier and she felt a little ashamed of herself.

But Rei wasn't about to know that, she decided.

She grinned in an exact replica of his phoney grin and dug into her bag, holding up the elegant black Chinese qipao that she had bought before leaving the village. She was proud of it, even if it was more her alibi than a dress. She had wanted one anyway, so getting it this early didn't matter all too much. The soft linen was fashioned with a Mandarin collar, floral Chinese buttons and a peony embroidered with silver threads at the lower hem of the dress. "I told you guys I wanted a qipao. I spent all day looking for it and finally found it –"

"I got stuff too," Miyami interrupted, obviously not wanting to be left out of the spot-light. She held up a pair of black satin pants with floral embroideries at the ankles and a sleeveless, v-neck blouse with a bird of paradise embroidered on the front. According to her, Miyami didn't 'do' dresses…

Their reactions were as Chaya had expected. Takao mumbled loudly about girls and shopping, disappearing into the house, followed by an amused looking Max and Kyoujiu. Rei gave Chaya a funny look, obviously knowing that she wasn't telling the truth and Kai sent her a glare that made her tense up – it was almost as though he thought something was up as well – before muttering darkly that she should have been training for her upcoming matches and leaving. Daitenji-san immediately began to rant and harp on her about having not told him where she was going or asking permission and then reminding her that she had yet to do any of her school-work, and did she want to be a part of this team or was she going to slack off the rest of the way too?

Chaya took it all without protest, pretending to feel ashamed of herself and acting repentant, while inwardly she found that she was thinking about how she would get to the bookstore that Ken-zhi had spoken about. She was sure that after this little insurrection, despite the fact that she and Miyami had an alibi, that Daitenji-san would be keeping a closer eye on her.

Of course…now she had an ally, she thought as she glanced quickly out of the corner of her eye and saw Miyami sneaking around the back of the farm and flashing her a thumbs-up sign. With Miyami in on her little mystery hunt she might possibly have an easier time of it from now on.

…Maybe.

* * *

Alright, finished with that chapter…I'm not too sure about it, but hey. It was written during a block and during stress, it's as good as it gets…plus it's one of my longest chapters of this fic so 'nyaa! 

R&R please,

Alptraum will be updated later today hopefully,

Kuriness


	12. Chapter Eleven

_**The Underdog Syndrome**_

**Author**: KuriQuinn

**Title**: The Underdog Syndrome

**Fandom**: Beyblade

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Beyblade, but if I did I'd probably be rich and still reading fanfiction

**Pairing**: I'll never tell…

**Rating**: PG-13 for language

**Summary**: A teen with heavy emotional baggage is suddenly thrown back into the world of beyblading, only to be thrown a series of lives curveballs a day at a time.

**Takes Place:** Series

_

* * *

Saturday November 3, 2001 _

"Come _on_!" Chaya yelled, fury bubbling up within her to the extent that she could feel heat radiating off of her skin. Even in the cool November weather, she stood outside of the Lin farm in nothing but jean capris and a black tank-top, sweat glistening down her back as she braced herself against the cobblestones of the yard.

A deep force radiated between her and the rapidly spinning black top in the stone bowl, almost the same repelling feeling one got when holding to magnets of the same polar together. Her head hurt from the effort at keeping too much power at bay, as well as willing her blade to attack Rei's. It had been like this since she had started practice two hours again. Even a simple spin took effort, almost as though Zorn was being purposefully stubborn.

Which, granted, she probably was.

The Chinese boy grinned at her in his usual catlike triumphant manner, and she noticed this mere moments before Drigger side-winded her blade into the edge of the dish, sending it hurtling back into her face. She caught it before it hit her, and bent to one knee as all of her strength rushed out of her for a moment.

"Nice try, Chaya, but still not up to par – I beat you even without Drigger." There was a hint of pain that flickered in Rei's eyes as he said this, but it was replaced with determination and self-satisfaction. "Are you sure you've been practicing?"

"Yes," Chaya insisted, her eyes blazing angrily. "It's not my fault that my psychotic sacred spirit is trying to be counter productive!"

"Yes it is," a cold voice said, and Chaya glared up to see Kai, sitting on the porch of the Lin farm. She hadn't noticed him there before, but it seemed he had been watching the entire practice session between her and Rei like a hawk. "You're not serious or focused enough. I don't believe you're ready for the solo-finals."

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" Chaya challenged, turning around and putting a hand on her hip.

"Because you haven't stopped slacking off since we got here," the oldest member of the team said, getting up and going into the house.

"And you haven't stopped being an asshole, so there!" Chaya called after him.

For a moment it was only she and Rei waiting outside, and it took her a moment to notice that the Chinese boy was actually laughing silently. She sent him an unimpressed look. "What?"

"You really shouldn't let him get to you," he told her in amusement. "I'll tell you what I told Takao – Kai's a loner. He's used to keeping people at arms length and feeling that he's better than everyone else. You can't try to change that in as little time as you've known him."

"Oh yeah? What makes you think I want to try?" Chaya replied. "I bet if I did his irritation germs would rub off on me and you guys would have two sourpusses to worry about."

Rei rolled his eyes at her and turned away. "Come on, we have to go. The tournament starts in an hour and Daitenji-san said you're coming this time."

"Why?" Chaya demanded, following him and moodily toying with her blade. "It's not like I can do anything but stand around like a wallflower."

"He just doesn't trust you anymore," called Takao's voice as the Japanese boy bounced out of the farm house, pursued by Max and adjusting his baseball cap. "And face it, who else wants to?"

"Keep talking, Takao," Chaya grumbled, looking up just as Miyami followed the two boys out. The silver-haired girl winked at her and slid down the wood banister, nearly tripping as she landed in the dust and only just recovering herself. She looked as though she had just come from the kitchen, because something like icing sugar was all over her face.

"Like you said, Chays, we can get him when he goes to sleep, right?" the other girl said brazenly, making her cousin wince as he heard her voice.

"Yeah, only let's not stop there; Kai's getting on my nerves too…"

(-)

"Why are we here again? We don't even get to sit with the team, so what's the point?" Chaya grumbled, slumping in her seat in the audience, staring down at the arena where the Bai Hu team was battling with a team from the rural shepherding areas. The first match had gone surprisingly well for the strange team, who had defeated the massive hulk of the Bai Hu, Gao, with having a lot of wool to cushion the blows of the attack rings. This in it self was an impressive task considering the entire match was taking place on an avant-garde model of the Great Wall of China.

Chaya and Miyami sat in the first row of the stands, separated from the team by the rules that only team members could be in the dug-out. They had both tried to protest this, considering Kyoujiu was permitted to stay with the boys, but Daitenji-san had been adamant. Besides, he had added, he wanted Chaya to pay special attention to match as part of her training and not spend all of her time baiting Takao.

She was paying attention, she thought ruefully, noticing that Miyami was completely ignoring her previous complaining as though she had already caught on to Chaya's behavior. She had noticed Gao's bad timing and sloppy playing that had cost him the match, as well as the powerful red aura of his bitbeast before it had succumbed to defeat. As usual, she was completely in the dark regarding the sacred spirit, save for the occasional freezing stabs from Zorn, but managed not to have any grey flashes this time around.

She could practically feel the paper with the directions to Ken-zhi's "friend" burning a hole in her pocket. Since the day before she had been debating about whether she wanted to actually go and see this strange book dealer, at the same time wondering if it was even worth it. Second thoughts at everything seemed to be streaming through her mind every minute and the sense that maybe she was just being stupid about the whole sacred spirit issue kept nagging at the back of her mind.

"It's that Mao girls turn," she heard Miyami comment nonchalantly.

Chaya's head whipped up, her gaze alighting on the pink-haired Chinese girl as she walked out into the open. If there was anyone she needed to watch out for, it would be her. She had seen enough of the power in Mao's bitbeast as well as her polished technique to know that Mao was more than a match for her.

Mao's opponent was a short boy with mousy brown hair; he wore a hat that was pulled over his eyes in a way that made it look like his vision was impaired and his sheep-skin vest was making Chaya warm just looking at it. It was excruciatingly hot in the stands, even though it was fall outside. The scent of thousands of bodies, most of whom didn't know the meaning of 'deodorant' was making her sick.

The match lasted not even ten seconds. With Mao's ability to pounce on her opponents without them noticing until it was too late, it was hard for Chaya to follow her movements or sense the sacred spirit. Ken-zhi's words came back to her, reminding her that she might never be able to sense anything, but she filed that little bit of information at the back of her head. She would worry about that when she wasn't watching Mao's blade suddenly disappeared and reappeared moments later in front of the opposing blade. For a moment it seemed like nothing had happened, before the Australian boy's blade shattered to pieces from the tiny slashes that Galux had made.

"Too fast for me to notice," Chaya grumbled to herself.

"Huh?" Miyami looked up at her, but Chaya ignored her friend. Her eyes were set on Mao, who was waving into the crowds victoriously. Her golden eyes fell upon Chaya and almost as though she could physically feel the blow, she perceived a strong challenging aura smacking into her.

"Nothing."

From the girls' vantage point, the Bladebreakers seemed tense. Not that Chaya could blame them – this was going to be the first tournament that Rei didn't have Drigger, which mean they were short some of the power they had had before. She wondered what was going on down there and once again regretted Daitenji-san's instructions that she remain in the stands.

"That was incredible," Miyami mumbled. "I've never been able to pull of a triple-halfback twist like that."

"This battle was over before it started," Chaya sighed, looking away from the form of Mao for a second and searching out the Bladebreakers. They all looked astounded at the turn of events, except for Rei who obviously knew his old teammates capabilities, and Kai who was uninterested as usual, leaning on his knees as though completely bored. "That Doug kid never had a chance."

"One more loss and they're out of here," Miyami said, turning to her as though she was about to ask her opinion on something. "Do you think Lai has a chance of losing?"

"Not in this lifetime," Chaya grumbled, shifting in her seat. She had missed Mao's battle and bitbeast; she didn't intent to miss Lai's, especially when she was sure that his sacred spirit was the strongest on the Bai Hu team. Down where the change of the team had started, Chaya frowned as she watched both bladers get into their stances. She recognized both as attack stances, meaning the battle, however long it lasted, would be one of offensive tactics and attempted take-outs. When was it better to try to scan the power of a sacred spirit than in full on attack?

She couldn't have planned it better herself.

"I want to see this one up close," Chaya announced suddenly, taking Miyami by surprise. The younger girl jumped, looking at her in confusion.

"What are you talking about? Daitenji-san said you had to stay here to watch –"

"No, Daitenji-san said that I had to watch so that I could prepare for my own battle," Chaya corrected, already leaving the stands. It didn't take long before Miyami was following her, a devilish grin plastered over her face. "And I have to see how Lai's going to battle. His is the strongest sacred spirit, I'm sure."

"If you say so," Miyami made a face. "Come on; let's go to the dug-out. I'm you my arena-worker buds won't mind if I bring a friend this time – especially if you're technically a blader."

Chaya made a face. "Only technically?"

Miyami grinned in reply and promptly led them down into the basement and through a few winding passages beneath. They jogged through the corridors and slipped unnoticed out into the stadium where everyone's attention was riveted on the center dish. By the time they settled themselves in the dugout, the battle was already underway. Lai's blade played with his opponent in a cat-like manner that made Chaya even hope he would just go in for the kill.

She squinted, trying to force herself to see something, some aura or power that might be emanating from Lai's Galeon, but nothing seemed apparent. He forced the blades back and then reared his own far off on the track of the model Great Wall. For a second she believe he would go in for the attack, but to the surprise of everyone Lai's blade seemed to hover before him for a second.

And he was staring not at his opponent, but at Rei. He was grinning; his long canines making him look like some sort of vampire. His voice carried across the stadium which seemed to all of a sudden be completely silent. "Hey Rei – you might want to pay close attention to this." The former teammates exchanged glared. "You've proven yourself unworthy of the Bai Hu – now I'll sow you once and for all that the power of the sacred spirit should have and always be _mine_!" He pointed an accusing finger at Rei. "Watch how a true master controls the battle! You might recognize this!"

He raised his hands as though he was calling up a storm and roared, "Galeon! _Tiger Claw Attack!"_

Rei vaulted upwards in anger and surprise as Galeon sped towards the enemy blade. Rei's surprise was understandable – even Chaya and Miyami had jumped out of their hiding spot, risking being seen, just to watch the attack that they had only ever seen Rei use. Chaya was open-mouthed. In her experience, the only person that could effectively use an attack that was limited to ones bitbeast was the person that owned it. Was the Tiger Claw not something that only Drigger could use?

The blow from Lai's blade sent the other blade flying, sailing through the sky before it appeared to burst into light. Before the eyes of the stunned teams and audience, little fragments of Lai's opponent's beyblade rained down from above, scattering the ground with depressed debris.

"And it's over! Lai and his Bai Hu team advance to the next round!" the announcer's voice washed over the shocked crowd, but the words did nothing to calm the frazzled minds of the bladers. Chaya watched Lai with a look of intense dislike on her face. At first she had thought that he was the rational one, with at least some form of honor. But now she was sure that he was not only lacking honor and respect for an opponent, but he was a ruthless fighter.

The two girls slowly approached the Bladebreakers, not really caring about getting caught any longer. Daitenji was in the stands and could not do much about it and all they received from Kai was an unimpressed glare. No one else seemed to care about their presence. Their attention was focused on Rei who wordlessly stepped forward and picked up the biggest bit of blade that was remnant of Lai's opponent's tool.

Kyoujiu hesitated before he asked, "What's up, Rei?"

Rei's fist tightened around what was left of the blade and even Takao cleared his throat, feeling the tension. "You okay, man?"

Max was finally the one to break the silence and voice the question that had been on everyone's minds. Chaya had to hand it to her brother – he knew how to get the ball rolling even in the most uncomfortable of instances. "How did Lai learn the Tiger Claw attack?"

"Good question," Rei growled, although his anger was not directed at Max or any of the Bladebreakers. His gaze was fixed upon Lai and Chaya thought idly that if looks could kill, Lai would have been ripped to shreds in moments. His voice louder this time, Rei called across the dish that separated the former teammates, "Care to explain yourself, Lai?"

A look passed over the oldest member of the Bai Hu team's face as though he was insulted to be asked such a question and by Rei, no less. "Sure, it's no big secret – the Bai Hu belongs to me."

"That doesn't really answer the question," Miyami observed sardonically.

"That's Rei's bitbeast, not your own!" Takao yelled angrily, standing as well. He was joined by Max and Kyoujiu, who looked torn between keeping Rei from physically attacking Lai and holding Takao back from making too much of a fool of himself. "How dare you claim it as your own?"

Lai looked disgusted that he was being addressed by someone other than Rei. As though deigning to speak to them, he sniffed, "Oh really, guys?" He turned his eyes back to Rei. "So what do you think, Kon? Maybe it's about time that you told them the truth."

Rei looked as though he was struggling with something for a moment. Chaya knew that when it came to his past, Rei was usually as mysterious as Kai. He was just nicer the way he casually changed the subject instead of just glaring at them and hoping they would go away. She thought that for sure he would decline Lai's offer, but when she noticed his shoulders suddenly relax she realized that he had decided that it was time for everyone to know.

"The truth is that Lai and I go back a long way. We grew up together in a small mountain not far from here. There was no TV or videogames or anything like that – so we devoted a lot of our spare time to beyblading."

"We were the best of friends," Lai added, sounding a tiny bit wistful as he went far back into his memories. "We were hardly ever apart, whether we were perfecting our beyblading skills or doing chore in the town with the rest of our Bai Hu team friends. It was the perfect friendship – perfect, that is, while it lasted."

As they spoke Chaya could almost see the story play out, but she just couldn't picture Lai and Rei having ever been anything more than the best of enemies.

"_Báihũ – _Drigger as Rei and I named him – is the symbol of the White Tiger team and has been passed down from generation to generation. But when the ceremony of its bestowment came upon us, it was Rei and not I who was selected by my grandfather to bear the responsibility. I was disappointed, but I knew that it was in good hands and so I gave Rei my support." His frown became even more pronounced. "I figured that if our friendship could survive that, it could survive anything." His lips pulled back in a vicious sneer, directed at Rei, who merely stood by and took it. "But I was wrong. It was at that time that Rei betrayed us! He chose to leave the town and take _Báihũ with him!"_

Raw hatred exploded across Lai's expression and he was almost yelling now. "It was then and there that I decided that I would one day find Rei and take control of Drigger's power, thereby restoring honor to our team. Of course to do that I had to ensure that my skill and strength were equal to that of Rei – so I practiced day in and day out until I was confident that I had perfected the technique that we had developed together. The one known as the Tiger Claw!"

He glared at Rei, who having listened, now seemed to have become as tense as before. His voice almost the same growl as Lai's, he snapped, "That's a nice tale you spun there, Lai, but it's a bit heavy on the melodramatics for my taste."

Lai snarled. "Every word of it was true."

"Maybe," Rei granted, "but it was only one side of the story – the one that you never gave me a chance to tell! Our town was so isolated from society that few beyond its walls even knew we existed – people here still have no idea that exist! Everyone should know about the Bai Hu clan, considering how old it is."

"That was done for protections in the times of troubles, and you know it," Lai snarled. His teeth were showing again. "What was wrong with leaving things just the way they'd always been? It wasn't your decision to make and now I'm here to claim the White Tiger again and you are not going to stop me!"

"Hey!" their argument was interrupted when Takao yelled loudly, and then stepped forward. His usually cocky and over confident expression was on his face and he was pointing at Lai as though singling him out for some form of personal attack. "Don't be so sure!"

Lai looked a little surprised. "Huh?"

Takao chuckled, smirking at the other boy. "You'll have to go through us first." Puzzled for another moment, Lai suddenly broke into a loud, disbelieving and bitter chuckle. Takao frowned at this. "Don't laugh – you Bai Hu may be tough to beat, but the Bladebreakers always stick together. And we're not about to let you take something from one of our teammates without a battle!"

"Yeah!" Max cried.

"That's right!" Kyoujiu added, "You mess with one of us you've got to deal with the rest of us!"

"Uh-huh!" Miyami cheered.

"You got it," Chaya grinned.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the stands?" Kai's voice was flat and unimpressed as usual and Chaya glared in back of her at the stoic captain of the team.

"Hey, I'm just saying what you won't because you hate us, so back off," she snapped. "The least you could so is show some kind of support for your _teammate_." She turned back to Rei. "We're all with you, Rei!"

The Chinese member of their team smiled, looking surprised but pleased to be backed up by his friends. He nodded and looked at Lai with a burning glance, "So there, Lai."

His former teammate was tensed, almost poised to jump across the dish and attack Rei, but contained himself. After a moment of labored breathing and snarling he finally, relaxed and smirked, "Alright then – let me offer you this challenge. If you defeat us in the finals then Drigger is yours – but if we win then it is ours and you never have dealings with it again. So what do you say? Is it a deal?"

Rei appeared to hesitate for a moment, before he nodded. "Alright, Lai – it's a deal."

"Great," Lai turned away, returning to his own team. "Cool."

And he was gone, leaving the Bladebreakers alone on their side of the dugout while he returned to his own team. Takao and Rei came back to the fold, Takao looking determined and Rei looking pensive. They didn't appear to notice the girls.

"Now we have to make sure we get all the way to the finals," Takao announced, stating the obvious. His friends didn't seem to mind. Max especially.

"Yeah, next round, here we come!" he yelled, punching the air.

Chaya rarely ever saw her brother this pumped up or determined looking. It seemed that Takao's enthusiasm had become an enabler to her brother, who's usual shy behavior disappeared around the other boy.

'Good,' she thought approvingly. 'Max needs to be a little more extroverted.'

After the little interchange between Rei and Lai, the girls decided it was only natural to just sit with the team and observe the match. Daitenji-san hadn't showed up to comment on their presence and no one else in the arena security appeared to care that they were there, which suited Chaya just fine. She had a better view of everything where she was sitting now.

"We're up next," Max said, coming to sit down next to Chaya. "Some team from Pakistan, they're called the Charming Princes or something."

"Well you've got the _princes_ thing right," Miyami remarked, nodding across the stadium at the three young boys that were seated in their dugout, drinking tea. They looked completely out of place in the stadium, their starched polo shirts and giant hooped earrings making them look odd.

"Get a load of their blades," Takao pointed out, drawing attention to the large blades that lay by themselves nearby. Each one was roughly the size of a shoe-box and painted an outrageously loud color.

"It's the maximum size and weight that a regulation beyblade is allowed to be," Kyoujiu explained. "It's only fitting for a prince."

"If you ask me, I think they're trying to compensate for something," Miyami snorted.

Chaya rolled her eyes at the lame joke. "No one asked you."

"Takao, you're first," Kyoujiu ordered. "We want to start off strong right away and definitely on the offensive."

"Score!" Takao was already standing and running towards the beydish, his launcher and blade ready.

Chaya didn't understand why Kyoujiu had seemed worried or even wanted to start things off strong. The first two matches were over in a matter of minutes. In fact, it wasn't until the third match that anything happened to make her really pay attention to the match.

The dejected looking team of 'Charming Princes' didn't look at all impressed that they had been beaten in the first two matches. The third boy looked determined that if his team couldn't make it to the finals, neither would the Bladebreakers. The way he was looking at Rei showed intense anger and determination and the way he brandished his blade left no question as to his intentions.

When they finally started the game it seemed as though it would be different from the first two. Rei's opponent immediately went for the kill, showing no mercy as he battled Rei back and out of his way. Rei's empty blade shook weakly as it was rammed by the larger and heavier top, nearly being thrown out of the dish with every slam.

"What's going on? Why is Rei fighting so badly?" Takao wanted to know, sounding confused.

Chaya herself didn't understand what was going on. Rei had been so angry at Lai and so intent on winning and now he wasn't doing anything? Now that she looked, she saw that he was completely relaxed and not even watching the game. His eyes were closed and he was breathing deeply, almost in resignation.

"Rei, wake up!" Miyami yelled. "We're in the middle of a match!"

"No, wait," Chaya interrupted, her eyebrows creased in confusion. Something about the way that he was standing made her hold back from calling out to Rei. It wasn't that he was giving up…it was that he was he was focusing. He was trying to psych himself up, holding back until his opponent was caught off guard. "He's not asleep…he's concentrating."

'Good strategy, but Rei, if you're going to do anything, hurry up – you're getting you butt kicked,' she thought intently, clenching her fists tightly in her lap. She was so absorbed in her own thoughts that at first, she didn't notice that Rei was speaking out loud.

"If you think…that size is going to intimidate _me_ and make me drop out…make me fight with half a heart – !" Rei looked up and turned to face his opponent more fully, hiding his expression from his teammates. Although only the back of his head was visible, Chaya could imagine his expression on his face – determined and angry, " – then you've got another thing coming to you!"

And that was when she saw it. It happened in less than a second, making her wonder if what she had just seen was real. Faint at first, before it exploded out ward, it took what happened next to fully convince her that what she was seeing was real.

"Wherever you are, Drigger, this is for you!"

At first Rei had seemed to almost glow an eerie green, as though something was surrounding him, before there was a pulse of energy and the green exploded outwards, joined from above by a flash of green light. At the same time, his blade picked up speed and the light appeared in the bit clip of the top, the rotation speed continuing.

"What's going on!"

" I don't get it!"

"What's happening?"

The cries of her teammates mixed with those of the confused crowd, but Chaya could hardly be bothered to take note of them. Her eyes were riveted on the place beyond Rei where all of a sudden, the air was filled by the gigantic form of the White Tiger. Like Rei had been before him, the beast was overwhelmed with the eerie green light that seemed to throb with energy.

She didn't understand how it had happened, but suddenly Drigger was back; crouched majestically before all of them, he was regarding Rei with almost a knowing and thankful look. Even if Rei's back was to her, she could tell that he was smiling joyfully at his returned friend. He was oblivious to Takao's triumphant laughing and Kyoujiu and Max's cheers.

"Welcome back, Drigger!" Rei shouted. "Come on, let's show them all the _real_ Tiger Claw!"

The deafening roar that shook the stadium was nothing compared to the flood of energy that once again emitted from Rei and his bitbeast. It crackled and singed in the air in less than a second, but it was time enough for Chaya to see it and recognize it for what it was. 'A bond!'

There was no other explanation. She had known that every bitbeast shared a bond with its master but had always thought it to merely be a thing that could only be held together if both parties were respectful of the other. It was why she had been so confused at why she and Zorn continued to have to drown out the other one throughout her life, without either disappearing or giving in. But it seemed that Drigger, despite the injustice Rei had done him by having fought with only half a heart, had held out and waited for him to learn the lesson in able to return. The force of the bond was not in that they had a mere friendship bond or one that they had cultivated together…it was that they had been _chosen _to share the bond.

It jived with Lai's story as well – it was more probable that the Drigger, or _Báihũ _sacred spirit had chosen Rei as its keeper, and not Lai's grandfather; especially if Rei's village had those who could commune with the spirits and know exactly what they wanted. It had nothing to do with generational traditions, it had to do with the sacred spirit choosing someone it believe fit to guard their spirits.

But how did that account for Zorn 'choosing' her, if that was the right word? What kind of sacred spirit would try to mentally damage the one that was supposed to protect them?

The earth was shaking around them and when she looked into the dish she watched in awe as Rei's blade tore up the Great Wall model with every inch it gained on the competition. His opponent looked panicked at what was about to happen and Chaya felt some sympathy towards him. The distance between the two blades was becoming smaller by the second and Chaya felt herself holding her breath.

The explosion as they collided sent dust flying in all directions and Chaya, along with the others hit the ground to avoid the sudden wave of earth that washed over them. Squinting through the haze, Chaya tried to make out the forms of Rei and his bitbeast, or even the aura she knew she had seen. But it seemed that suddenly, her vision was back to normal and she could no longer perceive the energy that had showed the bond between Rei and Drigger.

The dust cleared, revealing the completely destroyed model of the Great Wall of China. In the middle, spinning on a lone chunk of pillar that had not been reduced to sand, Rei's blade was spinning, lightly lifting the layer of dirt that was still settling all around it.

The power in the stroke was not just the power of Drigger's might, but of Rei's will. They were in perfect sync, Chaya realized with a frown. Was this what had made the killing blow so strong? And the bond between them, that had cemented it.

The announcers were already yelling, telling the crowd the outcome of the match. Their voices were almost drowned out by the explosion of sound from the crowds as well as the other teams, but the message was clear, "Winner, Rei!"

"Did you see that, did you see it!" Miyami demanded, pulling Chaya from the ground and dancing with her in a circle. "That was an amazing come-back – can you believe Drigger came back! And just when Rei wanted him too! It was the best! TV couldn't be this good!"

"Yeah, it was great," Chaya grinned, her words laced with double meaning. She had a feeling no one else had seen what she had and she knew right then that she and Miyami would have to find that book from Ken-zhi's friend as soon as they were able. As soon as she could pry her friend away from the spying eyes of their teammates (her eyes rested on Kai for a moment who, despite his relaxed stance and knowing smirk wasn't paying attention to them, she still didn't trust) they would set off into town to look for this bookkeeper's shop.

"That was so awesome!" Takao cheered, running up to Rei who was just gathering up his blade. He grinned at Takao in response, his eyes shining with delight that his bitbeast had returned to him. Chaya was sure that the looked could be likened to that of someone being reunited with a long-lost brother. She felt that she had been right when Rei first lost Drigger and told Kai that Rei's bond to Drigger was much stronger than anyone else's.

"We did it," Rei said calmly and a note of determination flared in his eyes. "And now that Drigger's back, it's even more important that I defeat Lai in the finals. All of us have to do our best."

"You bet," Miyami grinned. "And that includes soloists, right?"

Rei regarded Chaya carefully and then nodded. She knew that he was still suspicious of what she and Miyami had been doing the day before. "Yeah – Chaya, too."

She pretended to be annoyed. "You add that like it's an afterthought."

"Duh, because you are," Max snorted, laughing lightly when Chaya glared and punched him a little harder than playfully. As she joked around with her friends, she watched as in the distance, the Bai Hu team shuffled off conspiratorially. She noticed that Mao was looking back at Rei worriedly, but when the pink haired Chinese girl realized that she was being watched, she hissed and sent Chaya a rude gesture.

Chaya snarled in returned, wondering how long it would take to bring that petty and annoying Bai Hu girl to her knees in the finals. That would be an amazing battle, and they both knew it.

* * *

Wow. That took a _long_ time. I think I forgot that I had this fic for a while! 

Oh well, I hope you all enjoyed it,

R & R,

Kuri


	13. Chapter Twelve

_**The Underdog Syndrome**_

**Author**: KuriQuinn

**Title**: The Underdog Syndrome

**Fandom**: Beyblade

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Beyblade, but if I did I'd probably be rich and still reading fanfiction

**Pairing**: I'll never tell…

**Rating**: PG-13 for language

**Summary**: A teen with heavy emotional baggage is suddenly thrown back into the world of beyblading, only to be thrown a series of lives curveballs a day at a time.

**Takes Place:** Series

**Kuri's Note:** Usually I have both Flash and Meg go through my fics for editation, but Meg is in Kingston so this chapter has only been edited by Flash. When Meg returns I'll put up the completely edited chapter.

_

* * *

Sunday, November 4, 2001 _

"Augh! This is so _useless!_" Miyami groaned loudly, letting the large, dusty tome fall to the floor of their room with a depressed thump that sent dust flying up in a cloud. Coughing and sputtering, the younger girl glared at the offending book as though it was purposefully being of no use. "We go to the end of the shadiest part of town to find some quack with a book to solve our problems and all he can do is give us a book that _neither_ of us understands."

"Well what did you expect, 'Yami?" Chaya deadpanned as she rescued her new book from certain demise. "Ancient Chinese writings to be in English or Japanese?"

"Well if they're so ancient and powerful they could translate themselves," Miyami harrumphed.

Chaya rolled her eyes, "You're impossible."

"And you're failing to see that you just wasted another three hours of sleep tracking down a book that can't be read – and I doubt you want to get Rei in on this problem. Prehistoric mystical mojo and stuff is a lot different from sanitary napkins."

Chaya flushed red, "Thanks for reminding me about that – and can I actually read this thing now? You've been hogging it since I got it."

Miyami made a face. "Fine."

The tome was wrapped in leather or animal skin, somehow having maintained its condition over the years. Chaya found it remarkably well kept, as though the owner had deliberately maintained this book for a purpose. In fact, the odd thing was, when she and Miyami had walked into the store at six o'clock that morning, the decrepit old man had taken one glance at them, chatted wildly in Mandarin, and disappeared behind his counter. Seconds later Chaya had the book pressed into her hands and found herself and Miyami standing outside of the shop as though that hadn't even gone in.

Moments later, Miyami had grabbed the book and ran ahead of Chaya back to the Lin farm where she had promptly set to work searching for answers – which it turned out she couldn't find because she had no idea how to read Ancient Chinese script.

"Well forget it – obviously, with so many roadblocks, whatever it is you're looking for doesn't want to be found," Miyami huffed, curling into a ball on her futon and glaring at the book again. "I'm going to sleep – if I'm lucky I'll be able to catch up on _some_ of what I wasted."

Chaya glanced at the sky ruefully, balancing the book on her knee. "You'd think I'd forced you to come with me – and good luck on sleep, everyone's going to be up in ten minutes anyhow."

"La-la-la, I can't hear you!"

Holding back a snide comment, Chaya finally opened up the heavy volume, the smooth parchment rubbing against her fingers as she turned the pages. Various illustrations of demons and men lined the pages, the characters almost as artful as the drawings they described. She wondered if this book was merely a history or study, or if it was actually an Ancient Chinese spell book. Not that the latter would be useful, but if this book turned out to be a dead end it would be worth a lot of money to the right people.

What was she even searching for exactly? She had started out this search trying to understand what Zorn was – which led to wondering what bitbeasts were. And then there had been that bond between Rei and Drigger that she had been able to make out – of course, she wasn't sure if those were her eyes that could perceive the aura or Zorn's. Probably the latter, considering Ken-zhi had told them only those with hereditary ability could observe such phenomena. But none of this made sense to her, it just wouldn't…

Her eyes widened when she realized what she was seeing. She had been staring so intently at the page, lost in thought, that it had taken a while for her to notice the shining characters before her. One after another, certain places in the pages of the tome began to shine with eerie black light and while they didn't truly move, in Chaya's mind everything appeared to be rearranging.

'What…?' Her eyes widened when she realized what it was that had just happened. 'The characters…!'

"Miyami, I can read these!" she cried suddenly, making Miyami jump up in surprise. The Japanese girl glanced at her in confusion and then at the book in her hands. Chaya's hands were trembling with excitement. She didn't know why she could understand what this ancient script was saying, but she could. At least, in some places.

"Let me see," Miyami ordered, crawling over and glancing down at the symbols. After a second she frowned and said, "I can't read it – what's it say?"

Shaking her head as though to clear it, Chaya peered at the clusters of symbols and characters, somehow knowing their meaning despite their obscure origin and saying, "All they tell me is…" her voice trailed off and her expression closed, unimpressed anger passing over her face, "nothing I don't already know."

She slammed the book shut furiously and glared at Miyami. "Zorn's a jerk. She got me all excited that I might find something out and all she lets me read is that crap I already know."

Miyami stared for a second and then burst out laughing, so strongly that she was suddenly on her back with her legs kicking the air. "You're kidding!"

"I wouldn't joke about something like this!" Chaya yelled, feeling furiousness and humiliations wash over her. Apparently that last little move was just Zorn's way of telling her that she couldn't see anything herself. The ability to perceive anything was all Zorn's and Chaya was otherwise useless.

"Bitch," Chaya grumbled, earning a painful inner throb in response. 'Yeah, yeah…'

There was a loud knock on the door and it slid open a crack. Her brother's hesitant voice whispered through the cracks, "Chays, Miyami, are you guys up?"

"Yeah, one second," Chaya shoved the tome away, pushing it rashly under her futon as her brother slowly slid the rest of the door open. He was already dressed and held his beyblade in hand as he trod into their room, glancing hesitantly from Chaya to Miyami. "What's up, Maxie?"

"Nothing – Daitenji-san sent me to get you guys up," her twin shrugged. "And if you're not too busy getting all dressed and girly-looking –" he dodged the pillow that Miyami threw at him, "– you can also help us wake Takao up. He won't budge."

"He sleeps like the dead," Miyami shrugged. "Good luck with that."

"Yeah, thanks for that," Max rolled his eyes. "Just get ready for today's match, okay?"

"Are we actually allowed to sit with you guys this time, or are we still banned to the bleachers?" Miyami asked, even though both girls knew that in any case they would end up in the dugout behind the team bench. Max appeared as though he knew this too.

"No, Daitenji-san made an arrangement with the staff," he said as he turned to leave. "So you have to actually behave yourselves today."

"What's this 'behave' you speak of?" Chaya taunted, earning an annoyed stare from her brother as he closed the door. There was a few seconds of silence before Miyami cleared her throat.

"So, do you want to stick ice cubes down their back or go with the whoopee-cushion?"

"Whoopee-cushion – ice cubes melt too fast."

Not five minutes later, both girls were dressed and on their way out the door, when Chaya stuck her head into the boys room to see if they were still around. To her surprise, not only were the guys still in the room, but Rei, Max and Kyoujiu were leaning over a snoring Takao with expressions of exasperation. As usual, Kai was leaning against the wall, pretending to be far removed from what was going on in the room.

"Any luck?" she asked at the same time that Miyami shuffled back to see what was going on as well.

Max pouted, the effect making Chaya wonder if maybe Max had been meant to be the girl in the family instead of her. He always acted way too feminine to be a normal thirteen year old boy. "Hey Takao, are you going to get up or what?"

There was a grumbled moan in reply.

"Hey Tate, try a using a fire hose," Kai mumbled under his breath.

Max glanced up in surprise, both at the suggestion and at the fact that their usually stolid captain had actually spoken to him. "You think?"

"I have an idea," Rei announced, and as everyone watched as he extracted a red pepper from inside the lapel of his shirt.

"You carry peppers around with you?" Miyami asked incredulously, at the same time that Chaya commented, "You kept that in your shirt?"

The Chinese boy didn't answer and the group watched in a hush as Takao unconsciously began to chew on the hot vegetable. Miyami and Chaya grinned, already getting ready to sprint once they heard the loud yell. When it came, they both laughed loudly and hurried away, so as not to be around when Takao regained consciousness and decided to punish whoever had been in on the crimes. Chaya had an idea that he wouldn't go after Kai, Rei or Max, but that his anger would focus on both girls and maybe Kyoujiu.

"How angry do you think Takao's going to be when he finally gets up?" Chaya grinned as she and Miyami stepped outside in the crisp morning air. "I'm saying, murderous rage, mixed in with some 'I hate you all' mutterings mixed in with evil glares."

"I'm going with him calmly going back to sleep and then later plotting everyone's downfall in secret," Miyami replied.

"No way, he wouldn't do that."

"I bet you five thousand yen he does."

"Deal."

The girls shook hands, just as they appeared in front of Daitenji-san. He appeared curious and was about to open his mouth, but was stopped when they heard footsteps behind them. Kai, Max and Kyoujiu neared them, the two younger boys still grinning in the wake of their little prank. Kai appeared resigned and bored, as usual, but Chaya was beginning to get used to this. It didn't bother her anymore, although she continued to think up ways to goad the older teen into talking.

"Ohaiyou gozaimasu, Daitenji-san," the two boys chorused innocently.

Daitenji-san smiled wanly. "Good morning chaps – was that Kinomiya-san screaming, or am I hearing things?"

Max laughed loudly, while Kai didn't seem impressed, "It couldn't have been Takao, he's still in bed."

While Max and Kyoujiu relayed the story of Takao's awakening, with a few comments from Miyami thrown in to make it interesting, Chaya found herself studying Kai. Was it just her imagination, or did he seem a lot more tense then he usually was? She frowned, trying to figure out what his problem was. Nothing visible, of course, considering he would probably hurl himself from a cliff before he actually showed some type of emotion, but she felt as though his entire mood was radiating off anger and resentment.

Of Takao?

No, Kai didn't even consider Takao a person, let alone a problem in his life.

'So what's the matter?'

He caught her staring at him and narrowed his eyes. She immediately began to avert her gaze, but then remembered that she had made a resolution to herself not to be intimidated by the cold-hearted jerk before her. Instead, she intently jutted her chin out at him, a challenge.

His eyes lit upon something behind her. "Here he is."

She was distracted, turning to watch Reistruggle over to them, carrying a still heavily sleeping Takao on his back. Chaya did a double take and from the disbelieving groan from Miyami, she had an idea that she wasn't the only one.

"Don't tell me he's still sleeping," Max demanded, humor filling his tone despite the frustrated question.

"Oh, he woke up alright," Rei replied, laughing a little as he adjusted the weight of the body. "But only for a minute."

Chaya swore and Miyami laughed loudly, "Told you! You owe me five thousand yen!"

"There's no proof that he's plotting people's downfall in his sleep."

"Sure there is – I'm his cousin and I know what he's thinking. So pay up."

Behind the two bickering girls, Daitenji-san shook his head; apparently he didn't know whether to laugh or to be angry. "You had better get him up pretty quick or we'll be late. The tournament starts in less then half an hour."

"I think just to go on the safe-side, maybe Max should go first this morning," Rei grinned, craning his neck around to get a view of Takao's unconscious face. "The way he is now, Takao couldn't fight himself out of a wet paper bag."

"Apparently you weren't there for the barbecue incident," Miyami commented with a frown. When she received questioning gazes from everyone she shrugged, "Family reunion. Don't ask."

(-)

"So what is it about our team that weird stuff always happens to us?" Chaya asked later that day as she launched her blade at Miyami. Her friend had graciously accepted to help her train, as none of the boys could be spared at the moment.

Rei was having his sprained foot tended to at that moment. Earlier, when they had decided Takao would blade last, he had also offered to go later with Takao so that the group wasn't tardy. Unfortunately, he and Takao had been caught in a rockslide where Rei had been hurt and Takao had to carry him. The two boys almost hadn't made it, which would have caused the Bladebreakers to have to forfeit their match. Even though Chaya had suggested she blade in Rei and Takao's place, the rules wouldn't allow anyone, not even the solo-finalist from the same team, to enter unless they were an alternate. At the last second, though, they had shown up and Takao had easily won his match.

Speaking of Takao, Chaya thought as she watched Zorn pound into Miyami's training blade lazily, he was probably eating whatever his stomach could handle from Lin Nai-Nai's kitchen. How the woman put up with him was beyond Chaya…!

"I think it's karma," Miyami shrugged, ordering her blade to on the offensive as Chaya slammed into her. The American was surprised that even with such a mundane blade, Miyami could truly hold her own when it came to the game. It reminded her of why she had first idolized the Quick Sickness member when she had been the soloist at the National Soloist Tournaments so long ago.

Vancouver Island.

She shuddered, momentarily losing focus and watching her blade take a few hits.

"So you never did tell me what those characters meant," Miyami called across the stone dish the two girls stood around.

Chaya made a face. "Think of everything we already know and that pretty much sums it up."

"That's awfully general," Miyami deadpanned. "Is that what they said? Exactly that? In plain Japanese 'this is what you already know'?"

"No," Chaya snapped, becoming annoyed with the younger girl, "they weren't in Japanese they were in that weird language that neither of us can read."

"Then how could you read them?" Miyami questioned evenly, obviously wanting to hear a good excuse. "Because your evil bitbeast gave you permission?"

Chaya glowered, "You know what, I'm not telling you anything. Ever again."

"Aw, come on, Chaya!"

"Nope, if you're going to make fun of me, I don't see why I should have to –"

A bright red flash of light split past them, knocking Miyami's training blade out with one sweep and then bursting around Chaya's blade viciously. As Miyami caught her blade, Chaya searched around for the source of the interruption and her eyes lit upon Kai. The antisocial older teen was leaning against the door of the farm, glaring down at her, his launcher crossed under one arm.

"What's your problem, Hiwatari?" she snapped. "You're interrupting my training."

"You mean your little chat," he replied coolly. "Unless you and Mao are going to talk each other to death in the tournament, you don't have a chance."

She gritted her teeth together and glared, not having anything to say to that. She knew that Kai had a point. She and Miyami had been talking more than they were training, and she wasn't going to protest against it. She waited for him to slink off on his own, but he continued to glower at her. She could hear her blade taking a beating in the background and evenly said, "Okay, I get it, you can go now."

"Not until I see your full capabilities," he responded lazily, his eyes falling on the battle behind her. Holding back a growl, she turned around, watching the crimson flash of light that was Dranzer hammer into Zorn, easily pushing it back. Kai thought he could get over her time easily, did he?

She frowned at Kai. "You can stop now, I can train myself. I don't need you throwing your weight around at me."

He didn't reply, his eyes never wavering from her face. In the background, the noises of Zorn's imminent defeat seemed to become louder. She was torn between continuing to match Kai's gaze and trying to salvage the match. Kai's eyes, however cold and emotionless, mocked her. She refused to let him get away with this; she felt her brain focusing, scattered, trying to strain towards to different problems – Kai and the blade.

Her muscles were tense and she had a mental image of all her strength flowing upwards, into her head. She never usually noticed this when it came to the actually match, but with her attention so divided she seemed a little more conscious. Her eyes widened ever so slightly as she realized that even though she wasn't facing the match, somehow she could see the battle that raged behind her.

Dranzer continued to grate down on Zorn, who was losing. In her head the harpy shrieked, demanding Chaya do something before she did. Chaya inner voice snarled back that she wouldn't let Zorn do anything; never again. Her blade was thrown back again, jutting forward to attack Dranzer doggedly.

"You might as well give up. You're going to lose."

Kai's no-nonsense, matter-of-fact tones made her blood boil, fueling not only her own anger but Zorn's. The blade appeared to come alive, pushing back against Dranzer. Despite the pressure, Zorn was still losing. Steeling herself in concentration, she forced as much energy as she could into the rotation of the blade. Desperate to win and to do so without the help of the power-crazed bitbeast.

Kai's gaze continued to mock her.

"Come on, Chaya," Miyami's voice was in the background, quiet but still intent as she watched the match herself.

She was concentrating on too much. The match, Kai's glare, Miyami's voice, Zorn's screaming…Her head began to pulse and she was dizzy. The world was flashing around her, grey, and sinister. She could hear the very tones of the wind and feel all the tremors in the earth beneath her. The last time she had felt like this during a match was Vancouver Island. Was she going to black out again?

'No,' she heard the voice in her mind echo. It took a few seconds to realize that it was her own, 'I have more control now. I know what I'm doing.'

She suddenly realized what Kai was doing. His game was to split her concentration and make her lose focus. He knew that she had trouble controlling Zorn. He was trying to distract her even more to make her lose. Between the match and his challenging gaze, which he obviously knew her pride wouldn't allow her to break, her attention was divided and she could only control one thing at a time. In addition to her inner turmoil, if Dranzer managed to get an opening, her blade would be shot and she herself would suffer a mental blow.

'So that's how you want to play it?' she narrowed her eyes. 'Fine.'

The world around her appeared to shift and distort. She blocked out all sounds and images save for the battle raging behind her and Kai's face. She knew that this was a training exercise, to force her to center on the match and send all of her strength there. The test was that if she looked away to follow the match, blocking everything else out, she would pass and then possibly win against Dranzer. At least, that was what Chaya figured Kai's reasoning was.

But the team captain apparently didn't know that Chaya liked to change the rules.

'What you don't seem to get, Hiwatari,' she thought, feeling a smug grin appear on her face as they continued to stare each other down, the battle raging behind her, 'is that I have two different people in my head. And neither of us likes to lose.'

Zorn had stopped shrieking, instead roaring in agreement. Chaya's plan to divide and conquer was obviously a welcome idea to the harpy. As the thought entered her head, she sensed the blade continuing putting on a burst of speed. After that, she closed her mind to the battle, leaving it to Zorn. All of her attention was diverted to the battle of the wills she was having with Kai.

At her new tactics she noticed him raise an eyebrow. Apparently he hadn't expected her to pull something like this.

'Yeah, that's right, buddy, you're going dow – huh?'

His own eyes narrowed in a hard stare of complete concentration and suddenly Chaya felt as though she had been physically slapped. Kai's gaze bored into her and she felt as though she was being thrown backwards. How was he able to do this…? Did Kai have two minds as well?

'No,' she gritted her teeth, forcing back the almost physical blast. 'It's something different. It's his willpower that's so strong.'

Was Kai's mental power that much greater than hers?

'Not a chance!'

She thought she felt the earth shaking around her and the wind picking up, but it might all have been in her head. Even as she blocked it out as an outside disturbance, she sensed her blade giving off an extreme amount of force. The sacred spirit trapped within the bit was moments from coming out, and what she could sense of Kai was that Dranzer was doing the same.

And yet it appeared that neither she nor Kai wanted to release their bitbeasts; Chaya because she knew what would happen if she freed Zorn for even a moment – and Kai for some other reason that Chaya didn't understand. Was this just another test or training exercise to him? Or was he trying to see how much stronger than her he was?

It was hard to breathe and she wondered if the oxygen wasn't seeping away from her, but then remembered that they were outside and such a thing wasn't possible. Or was it? Physics seemed to have suspended for the moment in the never-ending staring contest between herself and Kai.

She…would…not…lose…this!

But his eyes were telling her she would.

She tried to ignore that, intent to hold his stare, intent to win the battle in back of them.

This was going to –

There was a shattering sound that interrupted everything. Both Chaya and Kai moved towards their blade. Instead of the two battling tops, both blades appeared to have shattered into tiny fragments. For a second Chaya thought Miyami might have stepped on them, but her friend was standing almost six feet away, staring at the blades in amazement.

'Rotation speed,' Chaya realized as she caught the glint of her Zorn bit lying in the debris, 'the blades were both rotating so fast and forcing into each other so strongly that they combusted.'

She blinked, watching Kai stride forward carefully and pick up the bit that held Dranzer. He studied it for a moment, unreadable expression on his face and then turned to go back inside the farm. Before he did, though, he paused, back to the two girls, "You're not strong enough to win the tournament. Maybe you should go home."

And then he was gone.

Chaya glared at his disappearing form, feeling anger and frustration mull about her. She trained, she worked hard, she kept an evil spirit at bay and she was still not strong enough? Who did this guy think he was?

"Dude – that was amazing!" Miyami crowed, hurrying over and clapping Chaya on the back. "What the heck was that! The ground was moving and everything!"

Chaya frowned, gazing at the bit clip in her hands. High pitched screams in her head; victory. She shrugged, "I have no clue." She glowered up at the sky, "But Hiwatari doesn't have to right to treat me like some weak kid that's not even worth competing with. He could have just called me that and left, he didn't have to go all out and pretend he was big stuff."

"He's a guy," Miyami commented helpfully, "they're all into competition, you know that."

"So? That doesn't give him any excuse! Kai Hiwatari is a screwed up excuse for a –"

"Good captain."

Both girls jumped when they noticed Daitenji-san appear from the shadows. He was surveying the door of the Lin house with an expression suggesting he knew where Kai had gone. Chaya got an immediate impression that Daitenji-san had been present for the entire match.

"Daitenji-san, we didn't see you there," she said guardedly, earning an amused stare from the old man. "What do you mean, good captain? In case you haven't noticed, Kai's only doing this so that he can defend his title as world champ. If he had the choice, he'd hang us all out to dry."

"I know, Chaya, but Kai will slowly understand that there's strength in numbers," Daitenji-san explained good-naturedly. "Even now, whether he knows it or not, he's trying to strengthen those around him – his teammates. And that includes you. Why else would he have bothered to engage in battle with you?"

"Because he was bored and felt like mocking me?"

"Only a limited mind would come up with such an idea," Daitenji-san harrumphed. "He was testing you, Chaya. It appears he was trying to assess your prowess in battle."

"Yeah, and I failed whatever he was trying to pull," she replied bitterly. "Or didn't you hear what he said to me?"

"No, I didn't and to tell you the truth, I don't feel I should get in between any disputes," Daitenji-san said placidly. "It is a strong team who can settle quarrels by themselves, let's leave it at that. Anyhow, I only came out to say that it's time for your weekly call to your parents."

"Great, I need my mom to send me something," Miyami cheered, hurrying up the rickety stairs. "I left most of my CD's and stuff with them."

"Great, I get to hear my dad worrying non-stop over me for an hour," Chaya groaned. "Well, I've got to say one thing about Hiwatari – he's lucky he doesn't have time to waste on his parents. I've never seen him make one telephone call – or take any for that matter."

"That, my dear, is for the simple reason that Kai's parents are not around any more," Daitenji-san said quietly, making both Miyami and Chaya focus on him. His usually cheerful face was grave, as though he was recalling a particularly unpleasant detail. "His father walked out on him when he was younger and his mother is in an intensive care unit after a fire in their home. Kai and his younger sister were put under the care of their grandfather, Wolter Oreskovic."

"Wait, you mean _Voltaire_ Oreskovic? As in Vladimir Efimovich Oreskovic?" Miyami said suddenly. "Isn't he the president of a beyblade manufacturing or engineering company?"

"Indeed," Daitenji-san nodded. "This is precisely why Kai never receives any recognition what so ever. Oreskovic-san is a very busy man who can not spare a moment for a family telephone call."

"Ouch," Miyami remarked, while Chaya felt a growing guilt in the pit of her stomach. She suddenly regretted her comment about Kai's parents. The fact that she complained about her worry-wart father made her see herself as a spoiled brat, especially now that she knew of Kai's lack of family. "That really sucks."

"Yeah…"

"Especially with it being his birthday this coming Friday and all," Daitenji-san continued. He sighed, "Poor boy has probably never gotten a proper congratulation in his whole life."

Chaya frowned and then watched their benefactor disappear. She turned to Miyami, who had raised her eyebrow and appeared quizzical. "Is it just me or did he lay it on a little bit too thick there?"

"Nah, he was oozing the guilt-trip," Miyami stuck out her tongue at Daitenji-san's retreating back. "I think he thinks we should do something for Kai's birthday…if it is his birthday, I mean. I could just be a crafty old-guy trick."

"Nah, Daitenji-san isn't _that_ underhanded," Chaya mumbled, exhaling loudly. "Why he intends us to do anything about it is the next question – we hate him more than Takao does!"

Miyami snorted, "Speak for yourself. I personally don't have a problem with him as long as he keeps to his side of the playground and doesn't bug me."

They finally entered the farm, making a beeline for the kitchen where Lin Nai Nai was making up their supper. When they reached it, Miyami immediately went to make some tea, following Lin's orders from long ago to make herself at home. Miyami apparently didn't have any problems doing such a thing.

Chaya, on the other hand, wandered over to the table and slumped down, head in her hands. Although she was watching the two other women bustling around the kitchen cheerfully, she couldn't get her mind off of the match or Daitenji-san's words. Her dislike for Hiwatari was being sorely tested by Daitenji-san's guilt-trip talents. She really wanted to pretend she hadn't heard about Kai's past or about his upcoming birthday, but a part of her stubbornly kept going back to that moment.

She remembered suddenly how on Takao's birthday weeks before Kai had seemed resentful and withdrawn, as though he had believed such a celebration was a waste of time. For someone who had never really celebrated all of his life it probably was. She now understood that she had been right when she asked him if he had never had a birthday party or celebration in his life.

"What wrong with brazen American?" Lin asked Miyami, pausing in her preparation of the group's dinner, still holding up a handful of spices.

Miyami glanced up from the boiling kettle she had just put on the stove and peered at Chaya calculatingly, before shrugging at Lin. "Just a little teen angst mixed in with psycho spiritual problems. Nothing to worry about."

"Ah," Lin nodded, going back to her preparations.

Chaya glared at Miyami and then turned to the old Chinese woman. "Hey Lin, say there was someone you really didn't like but you found out it was their birthday soon and you don't want to actually acknowledge their existence, but you'd feel really guilty of you didn't do something for them. What would you do?"

Lin paused as though she was considering the question, the long wooden spoon in her hands dripping some dark sauce onto to floor. She didn't give the impression that she minded it and instead, looked up at Chaya earnestly. "Give chicken. Always good plan."

* * *

And there is another update. I think I'm doing better this week than last week – 

R&R please,

Kuri


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**_The Underdog Syndrome_**

**Author**: KuriQuinn

**Title**: The underdog Syndrome

**Fandom**: Beyblade

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Beyblade, but if I did I'd probably be rich and still reading fanfiction

**Pairing**: I'll never tell…

**Rating**: PG-13 for language

**Summary**: A teen with heavy emotional baggage is suddenly thrown back into the world of beyblading, only to be thrown a series of lives curveballs a day at a time.

**Takes Place:** Series

------------------------)

_Friday, November 9, 2001_

"Well, today's the day," Miyami yawned, gazing out the window to where the Bladebreakers practiced their drills for the final match, which would take place later that day. She shifted her position so that her knees were brought up to her chin and focused her eyes on her roommate; Chaya, who sat lotus style on her futon, flipped through the dusty ancient tome, apparently unaware of her friend.

There was a lapse in silence where Miyami watched her expectantly and the blond girl suddenly realized that she had been spoken too. A little dazed, she met her friend's glance and grinned, "Yeah, here's hoping the guys don't get their butts kicked."

"Shouldn't you be worrying about your match too, instead of reading up on haunted evil spirits and such?" the Japanese girl enquired, pushing off from the window and crawling over to sit next to Chaya.

"I still have two days to worry about that – it's crunch time for the guys today, not me," Chaya responded with a shrug, immediately taking up her reading again. "And this is part of training, for your information."

"Rriiiight," Miyami deadpanned, rolling her eyes. "And yesterday sneaking out even without me and going away for the whole day – I suppose you're gonna call that training too, right?"

Chaya tensed and smiled up at Miyami winningly, hoping to distract her from the question she knew her friend was going to ask. "Speaking of training, what do you think about helping me out again later for my match? No one else is going to want to, considering if we win they'll all be celebrating and if we lose they'll all be depressed."

"Oh no you don't!" Miyami jabbed a finger in Chaya's direction, a defiant expression on her face even as she nearly speared her friend in the face. "Don't try to pull the subject-change technique, it doesn't work with me! What are you up to, _blondie?"_

Chaya stuck out her tongue and stood up. "None of your beeswax."

"Cha­_yah_," Miyami whined, throwing a pillow at her as she moved to put away the ancient tome. Narrowly missing it, Chaya ducked and then smirked at Miyami.

"By the way, maybe you should shower now."

"Why?"

"Because Takao hasn't showered yet and we all know he takes as long as you in the bathroom – do you really expect there to be any hot water left by the time you get in after he – "

"Outta my way!"

Chaya jumped out of the dangerous path of her over-reacting friend, who barreled through the door and down the hall. Shaking her head at the sound of a door slamming, she turned back their room and looked around. The place was tidy, thanks to Miyami's diehard enthusiasm, with only a few piles of clothing or books out of place that she had insisted pointedly to be left alone.

Glancing around suspiciously, both in the room and the hallway to make sure that no one was around, she slipped over to one of the larger books that she had taken with her from Japan. It lay face down as though she had just put it down after some light-reading, its spine in the air and a small space between it and the floor. After once again checking to make sure no one was watching, she picked it up and reached underneath it for the package she had placed there the night before.

The black leather blading gloves had been a surprising find, and the only thing that she could have even visualized herself giving Hiwatari Kai for his birthday – which he didn't want anyone to know about, evidentially. Anyone else on her team would have been an easy shop – beyblade tuning gear or sweets or comic books would have pacified everyone on the team or at least been acknowledge as a nice thought. But because she seriously couldn't imagine Kai actually appreciating any gift, she had decided to go for something that even if he didn't require, eventually it might come in handy for him. Giving him something impractical would invite ridicule and money was something she didn't picture the heir to Voltaire Oreskovic needing.

She didn't know why she was being so secretive over this little situation, although a lot of it had to do with the relations between the team. Kai regarded everyone else as below him and of obvious lesser intelligence, while the team believed Kai to be haughty and uncooperative. The idea of going around to everyone saying she needed them sign a birthday card or help shop for a present for the stoic team leader was a laughable idea. And the thought of the beating she might get from Kai if she let Takao, let alone everyone else, in on the fact that it was his birthday didn't wasn't a great motivational tool either.

Her initial plan had been to discreetly slip into the Bladebreaker's room, slide the gift under Kai's pillow or into the flap of his duffel bag and then make a break for it. Of course, she really should have known that whatever deities presided over her little corner of the universe had deemed her a problem case and decided to make her life more difficult. As she left her room, she found herself in another near head-on collision with said anti-social teenager, who had obviously grown tired of being around the others on the team and had come in to get ready for the match.

"_O-ohaiyou, Kai-kun_," she uttered quickly, on reflex hiding the gift behind her back. He raised an eye at her distrustfully and continued walking in the direction of his room. Swallowing nervously, she cleared her throat, "_Chotto_ _matte kudasai. Ano…o-tanjoubi omedetou."_

Kai regarded her sourly, his eyes registering a vague note of surprise as well as mistrust. Before he could walk off again, she removed the package from behind her back and held it out to him, smiling encouragingly. "I got you these because – well, they were the only thing I could picture getting you. They're blading gloves, so you don't get sweat on your ripcord or hurt your hands if you launch really strongly – or, you know, you could use them for other things, like biking, or rock climbing or hitting people with – " She waited to gage his reaction and nearly stepped away when she realized he continued to glower at her expectantly, as though she was wasting his time. Pushing her annoyance aside, she hurriedly tried to wrap things up, " – anyway, I just figured that with you being our captain and all, I should just say thanks – and happy birthday, you know?"

He stared at the package in her hands and then made a scoffing noise.

"I don't need or want your pity," he told her with a cold smile, one foot already in the door of the Bladebreakers dorm. "You wasted your money."

A blistering hot anger exploded within her and she blushed in shame at having for one moment believed she would get any other response from such a cool customer as Kai. Luckily for her, she considered vaguely, being angry just made her more determined. "This isn't pity – okay, so for about a day it mighta been pity. But then I thought about the fact that here you are – with people you can't stand, in a country whose temperature is the polar opposite of you, getting dragged into all kinds of other peoples past problems – acting as our team leader." His expression remained the same and she rolled her eyes. "Or you could just accept them as me saying your gloves are ugly and pointless and hindering your game and you needed new ones."

He still wasn't impressed.

Not to be deterred, Chaya smiled grimly at him, an idea coming to her so abruptly she almost jumped. "Fine, you know what? Don't accept them – I'll just go tell everyone else that it's your birthday and you can endure an entire days worth of birthday beats, birthday jokes, Takao trying to force you to get a cake so he can eat it and everyone else trying to get close to you – "

The package appeared suddenly in his hands. She stared in awe, having never seen a lift that fast. He didn't spare her another glance as he bowed slightly in thanks and then turned into the Bladebreakers' room, shutting the door loudly behind him.

She smiled widely at the door, her inner voice cheering.

'_Yatta!_ Score one for me! This day is gonna rock!'

(-)

"Well that sucks…good try Max," Chaya called sympathetically at her brother as he returned to the dug-out after the first match. He appeared dejected, and anyone could see why. The entire team had believed that he would be able to take out his opponent – but apparently Ki Gao had been too strong for the American. She remembered that Miyami had once said that Kai had suggested bus ticket home for Rei when he had failed to perform as expected and mentally dared the older teen to comment on her brother. But Hiwatari remained strangely silent, not even looking at anyone let alone speaking to them.

"Yeah, man, it was a great match," Miyami grinned. "We really thought you had it – but don't worry, the team's still going to win, right?"

Max took a moment, and then smiled at them in gratitude. "Yeah, - Rei and Takao are both really strong. This'll be easy!"

"That's the spirit, Maxie!" Takao cheered, clapping his friend on the back.

Chaya smiled and glanced across the stadium where the Bai Hu team were seated. Gao and Lai were talking, while Ken Zhi sulked in the corner. Chaya had a feeling that the reason was related to the team line up. The two strongest bladers on their team were Mao and Lai, with Ken Zhi and Gao's talents around the same. And considering Gao had just gone, the youngest member of the team had obviously been passed over.

Mao noticed her watching and Chaya found herself on the receiving end of a vicious glare. Not to be outdone, she returned it before grinning up at Rei. "You go, Rei! Pummel them into the ground!"

He didn't reply, and now that she looked at him, she realized that he was actually quite pale underneath his yin-yang bandana. She shivered a little, looking down. Obviously, Rei still had a few skeletons in his closet to deal with – she hoped he'd come to himself in the course of this match, or the Bladebreakers might actually lose. Or worse – Rei might lose his sacred spirit again; and this time it might not return to him.

The announcers announced the beginning of the match and introduced the participants. The object of interest for the time being was Mao, and Chaya strained her ears to hear anything that might help her in her battle against Mao two days from then. She couldn't hear herself think, though, amidst the wild shouts of Mao's name, mostly from the male half of the audience and Rei's name, from the female audience members.

"Man, listen to that crowd," Max said, glancing all about as though trying to find each individual voice.

"Yeah, Mao's got quite a following," Takao agreed.

Chaya rolled her eyes and made a face, muttering under her breath, "If I had her looks I'd have a following too."

Miyami sent her an amused glance, while Kyoujiu cleared his throat and hurriedly said, "It isn't just her looks, guys – she's popular because of her extra good beyblading skills. Wouldn't you agree with that, Takao?"

Takao didn't appear impressed, gazing at Kyoujiu with narrowed eyes. "Chief, can you make it any more obvious that you have a huge crush on Mao?"

Max snorted, while Miyami just laughed; in the background, Kyoujiu made various resolutions that Takao was completely ridiculous and had suffered one too many hits to his head.

"Kon's not a good choice to battle Mao." Everyone whirled around to stare at Kai, who's eyes were glaring daggers into Rei's back. Chaya shivered at the look their Chinese teammate received from their captain, at the same time holding back from saying anything to question him. It was rare for Kai to offer his opinion, but in most cases he ended up right. "This could be a big mistake."

Takao surveyed Rei calculatingly, trying to see what Kai saw. "Yeah, why do you say that?"

Kai's eyes didn't leave Rei. "They share a history together – how can we be sure that Kon won't forget which side he's on when Mao gazes into his eyes?"

"Because he's not that type of person, Hiwatari," Miyami said suddenly and sharply, making everyone stare at her in surprise. "He'll do his best."

Further argument cut off as the floor suddenly rolled back, revealing an exact replica of the Forbidden City, complete with a meticulous looking imperial palace and dirt trails that would obviously prove a challenge to both Mao and Rei's blades.

From the Bai Hu dugout, Ken Zhi called out to Rei, but Chaya's limited vocabulary when it came to Mandarin wasn't good enough to help her figure out what it meant. She put it behind her, deciding to concentrate on the match. Unlike the previous one, which she had watched merely for the sake of her brother, this battle would be enough to feel out Mao's abilities. In all of her matches that Chaya had watched so far, she had taken out the opponent before anything could be revealed.

With Rei as her opponent, Chaya was guaranteed a long match to watch and could pick up some tips as to how to beat the pink-haired hellion.

The battle had started almost before anyone had noticed and Chaya forced herself to concentrate on the match. Almost immediately Mao took the upper hand, her razor sharp attack ring nearly slicing Rei's blade in two. Chaya's first impression showed that Galux was an amazing bitbeast, a poised and precise hunter. It's agility and precision were a lethal combination that preyed on the opponent, delivering a crucial attack and then not giving up or letting the opponent regain its balance. Rei's blade was already wobbling and tail-spinning completely out of control.

Even though Rei summoned Drigger and attacked with the Tiger Claw, he missed and the team watched his blade fall to the floor with a depressed click. Chaya frowned, surprised. Mao, of course, remained the fastest and most precise member of her team – her attacks were actually dangerous, they were so clean – but Rei was supposed to be a stronger blader than this!

"_Nani_? What the heck was that all about!" Takao yelled loudly. "I've never seen Rei miss like that before."

"Didn't I say this would happen?" Kai remarked quietly, his eyes narrowed. Chaya felt surprised to see a flash of intense anger in his eyes before the expression returned to the usual cold, composed look. "Kon's letting his old feelings for Mao get the better of him." He closed his eyes lazily, almost like a final move. "I knew it."

"Hang on – this is only the first match between them," Chaya cried, trying to encourage everyone. "We still have some time – Rei can still bounce back!"

No one responded to her, even Miyami looked a little doubtful. The ref called out the second match and Chaya sighed, turning to watch with the rest of the team as the two opponents faced off again. They both launched their blade and for a moment it looked as though it would to be a repeat of the same old battle, but suddenly Mao straightened up and yelled something at Rei.

The Chinese boy reacted heavily to it, replying in their native dialect.

Their blades seemed to lull in their attacking each other and Chaya instead focused on the two bladers. Both Rei and Mao's faces were twisted in nostalgic emotion. From Mao's tone, Chaya had a feeling that the other girl was scolding their teammate.

Rei's blade continued to be pounded while Mao yelled at him. It wasn't until she abruptly something at him that Rei's head shot up and Chaya recognized the defiant and insulted look in his eyes. Apparently she had just said something that wounded his pride, because all of a sudden Rei's eyes were suddenly fiery, his shoulder tense. Chaya thought that she just saw a spark of green around him, but could have been mistaken.

And then, to further surprise everyone, out of the blue, Kai was standing and walking up to Rei. He was watching him with sharp eyes, almost deliberating whether he should speak, before he finally said, "Hey Kon – I know your loyalties are torn, but get over it. Your teammates are counting on you."

Rei stared at him out of the corner of his eye. "Huh?"

Kai was now obviously pissed off. "Wake up, Kon! Battles need to be fought with the head, not with the heart. Now get in the game."

And he sauntered back to his place and sat down, as though nothing had happened. Chaya couldn't help but join the rest of the team by looking completely stunned. Of everyone to get annoyed or angry with Rei, Kai had been the last person on her list. Takao and Kyoujiu were actually gaping widely at him.

"Wow…" Max breathed.

Miyami laughed, "And here we thought you didn't care about us!"

She was silenced with a dirty look while Kyoujiu commented, "But all Kai did was get Rei riled up."

Chaya smirked, leaning back on the bench. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but that was the whole idea, wasn't it?" She glanced at Kai out of the corner of her eye, but he wasn't looking at her. It occurred to her now, of all times, that there was more to Kai than just a glare and sharp words.

There was a loud cheer from the crowd and she returned her attention to the match where she watched Drigger bounce back at Galux. Rei was saying something to Mao that had her eyes tearing and then both of them suddenly bent in towards one another, crouching forward like cats about to attack one another.

Their sacred spirits battled above them, Drigger raising a giant paw to attack and sending Galux flying. Mao's blade was the one to hit the dust this time, Chaya noted with pride. Rei was proclaimed winner of the second match.

"No way! I knew he had it in him!" Takao shouted, jumping up and down and cheering. "One morel like that and we win!"

"One more like that and I'll probably have a heart attack," Kyoujiu moaned as he tried to keep his laptop from being knocked out of his hands by Takao's frenzied movements.

Max guffawed and smacked the shorter boy on the back, "Come on, Chief, don't be such a wimp! It doesn't get any more exciting than this!"

Kyoujiu muttered something and Miyami snorted, "Hagoshimi-san prefers the thrill of an algebra problem."

When the third and final match up between Mao and Rei began, Chaya was at the edge of her seat, intent to finally see something that might help her later. Both Mao _and_ Rei might give her a few unconscious tips.

It was immediate; as they both launched, Chaya saw the crackle of something that resembled electricity and the two sacred spirits suddenly exploded onto the scene, grappling with each other in the air. Chaya recoiled, having never seen such an intense light from either one. It was almost as though the beasts actually held physical form and any false movement might cause them to crush the spectators and teams.

Squinting, Chaya could make out the fine line of light that connected either opponent to their sacred spirit, and gaped when she watched the intense aura that covered the spirits also cover Mao and Rei. The aura's appeared to pulsate rapidly and in sync with one another and Chaya wondered if it wasn't their heartbeat that was showing for everyone to see.

She blinked, remembering she might be the only one who could see the connection. Even as the beasts jumped and dove through the sky, the connection was strong. Chaya watched Mao's expression, and then Galux' before a wave of dust rose up to block both beasts from view. There were yells and Rei was coughing – Chaya continued to try to search out Mao in the cloud of dust.

She was on the brink of understanding…just a few more seconds and she might be able to understand what she needed to do to win against Mao…

The dust cleared. Galux was down and out for the count in a hit that no one had seen.

As her friends cheered, Chaya could only frown in confusion and frustration. She almost had it! But the last part of the battle had been hidden from her. Zorn berated her and she ignored it, already annoyed enough with herself as it was. Rei and Mao were talking to each other rapidly and both smiling brightly. Chaya supposed that they had resolved whatever conflict existed between them and she was also sure that anything important, Rei would relate to them all later.

Mao returned to her dug out and Chaya watched mutely, not really understanding anything, as Lai suddenly lashed out towards his sister, his temper exploding at her so strongly, for a moment Chaya believe he would to hit her. She stood up, ready to march right over there and have a few words with the irate Chinese teen, even if she wasn't exactly the best of friends with Mao – but felt a strong hand on her shoulder, keeping her firmly sitting on the bench.

Glaring and whirling around, she was surprised for the second time that day to realize that it was Kai that had intervened. He didn't look at her as usual, but told her in a low, silent voice that she was sure no one else heard, "Stay out of it."

She was saved from doing anything as the announcers called out for the next opponents and the floor began to open up, revealing a new dish; the layout a simple desert temple venue. The model ancient ruins were surrounded by a sea of sand and a circular wall of rock.

Takao stepped up to the dish, facing the more and more irate Lai. The older boy looked at Takao disdainfully, as though he couldn't believe that he had been reduced to going against someone like him. And then, he looked right past Takao at Rei and smiled unpleasantly. "Frown all you want, Kon, the Bai Hu are going to win. The biggest mistake you ever made – " Rei's eyes narrowed, " – was leaving us."

"Don't worry about it, Rei, he's going down," Takao called back, louder and through gritted teeth. Chaya smiled knowingly. Takao wasn't impressed with the way his opponent insisted on treating him. It showed in his launch, which was rash and much sloppier than usual. When his beyblade slammed head on into Lai's, it was obvious that Takao would have to get his emotions in check before he lost.

Realizing he would lose if he kept playing it safe, Chaya could sense when Takao decided to call out Dragoon –

– _Dark electricity pulsed upward towards Takao's blade, infusing the plastic and metal with a lethal surge. The volatile strength in Lai's blade suddenly doubled and the force through Takao's blade right at him, the searing hot metal cutting into his face as he stared in shock – _

The flash hit her at a shocking speed and she crouched over, as though the vision had physically hit her. Still straining for a breath she stared over to where Lai grinned smugly, his blade already gathering power. Her eyes flew to Takao, who seemed blissfully unaware of what was about to happen.

"TAKAO!"

She must have sounded panicked, because he looked up, shifting away for a moment. It turned out it was the precise moment that Lai's blade emitted the blast of lightening that propelled Takao's game piece through the air, narrowly missing his face.

Chaya breathed in relief, while there were awed moans from the crowed. Takao hung back for a moment, confused at Chaya's outburst and what had just happened. He gazed quizzically back at Kyoujiu, "Uh Chief? Do we have a plan B?"

"Hold on, I'm still trying to figure out what happened to plan A," the younger boy replied, already typing rapidly on his laptop.

"What happened to plan A?" Max asked.

"Galeon," Chaya said simply, earning inquisitive stares in her direction, "His dark lightening attack – Galeon somehow learned to harness more energy while still inside his beyblade." Everyone's stare became stronger and she realized that Max had begun to look worried, as though he knew where she had her words from. She cleared her throat and managed half a smile, "At least, that what appears to have happened."

The others didn't notice the tension between the siblings and Kyoujiu sighed, "That still doesn't tell us how to beat it."

"Chill out, guys," Takao insisted, still looking a little worse for the wear since nearly being branded by his own blade. "If we don't have all of the answers we'll just improvise – we're good at that, okay?"

"Tell Rei that if he had stayed with the Bai Hu he would have learned my energy trick as well," Lai called over, pretending to address Takao even as he watched Rei, "But he didn't and now you'll have to pay the price by losing the tournament and going home. Enjoy letting your teammates down Rei, because you're just so good at it – I only wish I was taking you on so that I could really rub it in."

In their dugout, Rei hissed angrily, making Miyami jump. Shaking her head at them, she inched a little more into Chaya's direction, "You nekojin scare me…"

"Don't insult me by acting like you've already won!" Takao yelled loudly, stamping his foot like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum. "It's not over yet, Lai!"

"His entire focus is on Rei," Kai said silently, as though he was talking to himself while really giving Takao a tip.

The younger teen scoffed, resentful at being nitpicked by the captain that never appeared to take an interest in the team. "Duh – why state the obvious, Hiwatari?"

"Because you're missing an opportunity," Kai responded calmly, lazily opening one eye to watch Takao, "His mind is elsewhere – he's expecting something desperate from you. Do the obvious and confuse him."

An expression of sudden dawning understanding replaced Takao's confusion and he turned back to the dish almost triumphantly. Chaya watched Kai from underneath her lashes and when she was sure that no one was paying attention, she innocently commented, "I figured there was a team leader in there somewhere, Kai-kun."

Pretending she didn't see the deadly glare he aimed in her direction, she focused on the beginning of the match. This time, Takao quickly led Lai to believe that he was simply diving into the sand pit, before causing a giant storm to rise up, engulfing his opponent quickly. For a moment everyone believe that the Bladebreakers had lost, but the sand cleared, revealing a beached Galeon and a still spinning Dragoon.

Takao laughed loudly, punching the air, "_Yatta!_ Thanks, Hiwatari, for the good advice!"

"I wouldn't go celebrating yet," Kai murmured, watching Lai as he bent forward to pick up his blade. Chaya blinked, looking from Kai back to the opposing team's captain and visibly flinched when Lai suddenly looked up, a vicious look on his face. His pupils were contracting the same way that Rei's did when he got angry and she couldn't tell if it was just a trick of the light or if his teeth had become longer.

Takao appeared nervous for a moment, and then chuckled, "Maybe you could use a nail file – those claws are pretty dull."

Miyami sent her a bemused glance. "Hear that?" Chaya nodded. "No way Lai's going to take that lying down."

By the time the final launch came around, Chaya was sure that everyone was on their guard, waiting for something monumental to happen. She kept her eye out for the sacred spirits, knowing that now that it had come to crunch time, they would probably be viciously battling each other.

There was an explosion of black light and before the practiced eyes of those in the crowd and on the teams, the majestic and ferocious looking lion flooded the air, looking too big to be allowed. As the giant animal pounced in the air towards Takao, the blades down below scratched against one another, sparks flying at an alarming rate. Dragoon went flying suddenly and Rei flinched.

Miyami leaned over to Chaya, remarking, "You know, for a match that's between him and Takao-kun, there's a lot of glaring between Lai and Rei-kun."

The two spirits high above everyone emerged more splendid and solid. Around them, the dust of the desert brewed together, creating a massive tornado. The stadium was alive with the sounds of the fans, as well as the roaring lion and dragon. Chaya felt the need to cover her ears, but couldn't find the strength to. The way Takao and Lai were so in rhythm with their bitbeast – amazing – the force that they could muster – !

There was a loud explosion and a sudden white-out.

In the eyes of the stunned on-lookers, both blades flew from the dish, hitting the ground at the same moment.

"Now what?" Miyami wondered loudly, breaking the stunned silence.

Takao and Lai were still staring at each other, breathing hard, their chests heaving with effort. There was a loud rush of murmuring among the audience and the officials muttering amid one another trying to determine the outcome.

"How long do we have to wait for the officials to declare a winner?" Kyoujiu questioned.

"Wouldn't hold my breath," Max muttered with a sigh.

It was a full ten minutes before the acting referee stepped forward and raised his hand to signal for silence among the teams. Both the Bladebreakers and the Bai Hu strained for silence, waiting for his words. He cleared his throat and then spoke.

Rei hurried to translate, "He says that to break the deadlock a fourth and final session will be held to determine the champion. Teams will elect their own player for the sudden death battle."

"Oh yeah – I'm gonna win this thing!" Takao cheered.

"Takao, wait!" Rei cried, practically throwing himself from the bench.

"Huh…yeah?"

"Takao, I want to take on Lai." A silence among the Bladebreakers; Chaya wasn't surprised at Rei's request, having know he would have wanted a chance to redeem himself in the eyes of his former teammate. "I know I can win."

The Japanese boy watched him doubtfully for a moment and then grinned, looking a little disappointed, but encouraging all the same, "He's all yours Rei – make your teammates proud."

Rei nodded.

"_Ganbatte!"_ Miyami called as their team-mate approached the dish.

Chaya expected this battle to be one of the most power-filled that she had experienced since Vancouver Island. She wasn't disappointed – the launch between the two old friends was explosive, followed by Rei's Tiger Claw attack which infuriated Lai. Colors flashed past Chaya's eyes, in distinct shapes and she felt the presences of the other Bai Hu bitbeasts, just as Lai integrated his teammates attacks into his own. Rei did not looked amused at his former teammates antics. In a flat voice he commented, "Nice job showing off."

Lai growled something and suddenly the two of them were thrown into a flurry of rapid Mandarin. Chaya winced and looked at the others. She had a feeling Lai was trying to get Rei to quit, which was something everyone knew that he wouldn't do anytime soon. Mao hurried up to the dish, crying out to Lai, who whirled around and physically threw her to the ground, before returning to his battle.

After quite a few slams, the dark lightening began to take over, zapping the Drigger blade.

"Rei doesn't have much of a chance of coming back now," Kyoujiu said mournfully.

Miyami looked panicked, while Chaya clenched her fists. Was she the only one who could see what tremendous power was bottled up within the small blade currently battling against Lai's will?"

In response, Rei suddenly yelled something that she couldn't quite catch and the world was bathed in green light. Drigger's roar was so strong it penetrated the air and ground around them, sending vibrations up through Chaya's body and making her knees collapse.

'_Hearts beating as one, thoughts as one, the perfect balance. Do you understand it now?'_

The dish crumbled in front of the stunned eyes of the crowd, the dust clearing as Galeon spun weakly away. Atop the ruins of the dish, Drigger spun contentedly on.

Lai looked stunned.

"The team won the Asian tournament! We won!"

"Yeah! Woohoo!"

"Nice work, Rei!"

The entirety of both teams gravitated towards the middle dish, the Bladebreakers jumping all over Rei in congratulations. Only Kai remained to one side, preferring to walk up to and stay a little ways away from Rei before giving him the once over. He smirked. "That was a little too tense for my taste, but you pulled it off, Kon, and that's what counts. Congratulations are in order, I guess."

"You guess?" Chaya demanded, daring the unthinkable and reaching up to tussle Kai's hair, before pulling her hand away lest he break it off, "that was spectacular! Even you have to admit it!"

Lai faced Rei, looking as though he had just swallowed a lemon. Rei raised an eyebrow, "Well?"

Lai growled, but managed to keep his temper. Grudgingly he said, "You were right. I did have a closed mind. You're good Rei, you're very good."

Rei smiled, grateful for the praise, "Thanks Lai."

The two of them grabbed hands in a brotherly handshake.

"Now there's just one last battle, right guys?" Miyami commented.

Chaya met Mao's gaze and grinned at her. The spark of fire that had been lost in her battle with Rei was back. Both of them knew that even if the Bai Hu team had lost in the long run, they still had a soloist who could win the tournament in two days.

"Bring it on, Blondie."

"Keep your claws sharp, kitty-cat."

--------------------------)

Crappy, crappy chapter. This chapter was crap due to the fact that it's a pivotal battle and had to be described. I hate describing bey-battles! They're so booooooring!

Yes, as you've seen, I'm back, consistantly, I hope, considering my current track record. But hey, I have fics to finish and other idea to work upon so I should be back to at least three updates a week for the time being. If you don't get updates for more than a week at a time, it's safe to say I'm working on my novel.

R & R

Kuriness


	15. Chapter Fourteen

The Underdog Syndrome

**Author**: KuriQuinn

**Title**: The underdog Syndrome

**Fandom**: Beyblade

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Beyblade, but if I did I'd probably be rich and still reading fanfiction

**Pairing**: I'll never tell…

**Rating**: PG-13 for language

**Summary**: A teen with heavy emotional baggage is suddenly thrown back into the world of beyblading, only to be thrown a series of lives curveballs a day at a time.

**Takes Place:** Series

* * *

_Friday, November 11, 2000_

Chaya frowned against the darkness, trying to relax into the meditative position she had arranged herself in, but unable to banish thoughts of the morning from her mind. Despite the limited amount of silence that the room provided her with, she could still hear the hubbub of the Bladebreakers and Miyami down in the kitchen. Their voices rose and fell in frequencies which blurred their words, but she could still tell that it was all about the upcoming solo matches.

Which was making her nervous.

Which in turn made her angry, because Chaya didn't get nervous. Her philosophy was the sooner the better, unless homework, housework or any other kind of unpleasant task was at hand. The fact that she was getting nervous about a match that she knew that she could win told her that something was off. And if something was off, it meant there was that small chance she was going to lose.

First and foremost, Mao didn't scare her; her problem was not with Mao whom, after a lot of pondering and badgering Rei about stories about her impending solo opponent, Chaya had actually, grudgingly started to like her. Nor was the problem with the impossibly fast Galux, even though that was sufficient enough to make her falter.

The problem was with herself – and what really galled her, was that she couldn't pin-point the exact problem within herself which was causing her the grief of trying to self-psychoanalyze.

There was a knock on the door and Chaya growled, feeling a vein begin to pulse in her temple. Frustrated she snapped, "No! For the last time, Max, I don't want to eat anything this morning! And no, I don't want to practice against you or Takao or anyone! Yes, I want to stay here in my room, so go away!"

There was silence and she rolled her eyes to herself, feeling only the slightest bit of guilt at treating her twin like this. But he was really annoying her with the molly-coddling. Her eyes widened though when the quiet voice outside the door actually spoke up. "It's not Max."

She almost choked in surprise – on what, she had no idea – and fell out of her lotus position to strain her neck at the door, which slid open. "Kai-kun?"

He didn't answer as he closed the door and slipped inside. Neither of them said anything for a good three minutes by her count. He looked so out of place in the comfortable room that Chaya shared with Miyami that Chaya couldn't help but ask, "You want to sit down?"

This seemed the icebreaker that he had been waiting for, because he stonily shook his head and leaned against the wall. In his Kai-stance he appeared to gain back some type of his usual demeanor because he glowered down at her as though she was nothing and tonelessly bit out, "You're going to lose." Instantly furious, Chaya jumped to her feet, ready to berate him for his condescending attitude and for anything else she could think of, but was cut off when he held his hand up. "If you don't control your emotions. You're about as bad as Kinomiya in that respect."

"Better than being a total recluse."

His expression didn't change. "This isn't about personality, Tate; it's about winning the tournament. It doesn't look good to have a weak link, even if you are only a soloist. Get it together."

"If you came here just to tell me that, than you wasted your time," she folded her arms.

Kai glared. "Just passing on advice. Guess I was wrong about you being a serious blader."

"Well, that's nice for you. Guess I was right about you being a serious jerk," she shot back, sticking her tongue out for good measure.

The older teen merely shook his head. "Immature. Just like all the others. Why do I bother?"

Chaya snapped a rather well-chosen response to that, but knew he hadn't heard it through the door. Honestly, the guy shunned everyone and then expected them to listen to him when he deigned to lower himself to their world. Why did she even bother trying to befriend him?

Oh yeah, apparently I'm an optimist, she smirked at the ceiling.

_'Or a fool.'_

"Yeah, not looking for your input," Chaya mumbled darkly. "You get me in enough trouble."

_'You get yourself in enough trouble; blaming me for your problems might make you feel better but it doesn't make them go away.'_

"You're right. You're still here."

_'Hm…have fun losing.'_

(-)

The National Solo tournament match-ups were organized much the same way as the team battles were, although it was much easier to make it through to the top. Unlike with the team sports, the pressure was only on the soloist and it was clear almost from the beginning which bladers were going to advance and which ones were going to go home. Chaya happened to be one of the ones breezing through the game, as was Mao.

They saw each other occasionally throughout the day when they weren't fighting their matches, and of course the clichéd trash talking was inevitable. The Bladebreakers and Bai Hu teams merely sat listening to their back and forth insults, most of them over their petty rivalry. Chaya was glad that Rei was once again comfortable with his old team and even Max and Gao had formed a pretty interesting friendship. Miyami and Takao, however, didn't do much to keep from baiting Ken-zhi…

Chaya had expected to go all the way to the final match without meeting up with Mao and so was surprised when the giant score-board listed both their names for the semi-finals. Damn, that was rather anti-climactic she thought with a frown.

"Good luck, Chays!" her brother clapped her on the back, while Takao chatted her ear off about there being no pressure considering the team had already won. A solo win would be cool, but semi-finals were cool too. She made a rather pointed show of ignoring everyone. It was her experience that listening to people trying to give her confidence would just drain it away even more.

The butterflies in her stomach had leapt up again and she frowned, still trying to pin-point the exact reason for her nerves. Chaya. Tate. Did. Not. Get. Nervous.

"Tate."

Ever.

She turned around, pretending to consider Kai for a moment with the same expression he usually used on them, but paused when she noticed that behind the frown, he seemed to be struggling with something. Only when the announcers called her name a second time did he managed a gruff, completely impersonal, "Good luck."

She couldn't help it. As annoyed with him as she was, she knew what it took to get such a lone wolf to say something even remotely social. Something about a total loner actually acknowledging her and extending the olive branch gave her a happy, fluttery feeling – almost like the type she got when watching movies where the bad guy ended up turning out to be a good guy because he helped defeat the real bad guy – but she forced herself to ignore the immature feelings, clear her thoughts and smile at him in thanks.

She wondered if maybe after the tournament she might really start to try to bring Kai out of his shell. After all, she could tell that there was some potential for a friendship there. If he let her, of course.

She shouldn't have made such a big deal about it, because a second later he was looking away and hulked over in his Kai stance.

Any thoughts about Kai or winning or her friends left her when she walked out into the open area of the arena, starting towards the traditional dish in the center. Mao was already waiting, hip jutted out to one side and hand irritated fixing her hair. When she noticed Chaya, her eyes narrowed in cat-like amusement and she grinned.

"Look at you, you actually showed. I thought you might have enough sense to go home."

"Apparently you suck at judging people then," Chaya shot back, bringing out her blade and examining the Zorn bit therein. She made a face, suddenly noticing the silence in her head; usually by now Zorn would say something threatening or cause her to feel a sick nausea course through her veins.

Had she been serious about letting Chaya do this alone? The giddy, triumphant feeling was marred by the sharp look she was getting from the other girl. Could she even stand up to Mao without the use of a bitbeast? The loud, obnoxiously confident part of her started to beat her up inside for even questioning it and without another second, she returned the glance, getting her launcher ready.

"Go Chaya! _Ganbatte__ kudasai!'_ she turned to wave at Miyami in the stands and then got into position. It was time to block out everything, time to focus on the battle and remember everything she's learned since getting here. The announcers were talking, setting the scene for the battle.

If the Bai Hu-Bladebreaker battle had been tense, it was nothing to the atmosphere that surrounded the place this time. Even as she listened to them give the world her sordid, sob-story details again, she was distracted by the dry silence that existed between herself and Mao. The trash talking over, nothing remained except for the burning desire in each girl to beat the other one.

_"Ichi!__ Ni! San! Let it rip!"_

She wasn't even conscious of moving and the feel of the ripcord on her hands didn't register until a full ten seconds later, well into the spark-streaming battle between the black and pink blades. Mao didn't waste time calling out Galux, who appeared, poised above the dish and hissing at Chaya in the same dangerous manner that all the other bitbeasts tended to show her. After a moment, though, it was as though it realized something, because it backed off, focusing instead on the battle.

Mao's attention was linked to Galux, it seemed, because she sent Chaya an odd look. "Don't tell me you're not fighting with your sacred spirit." Chaya couldn't mask her surprise, and then she smirked, "Darn – and here I was hoping the battle was going to be interesting."

"I don't need anything supernatural to help me win," the American replied evenly, stealing herself. "Unlike some people."

Mao leered, but the talk ended there.

Their blades collided, a scraping sound of metal on metal piercing Chaya's ears, but she kept calm. The memory of her battle with Kai a few days earlier was fresh in her mind. She had been practicing for a few days now, tuning out the immediate sounds and focusing on the sole existing drag of beyblade against beyblade. Mao's stare…the sounds and the entire atmosphere meant nothing.

Galux moved into its attack position, ready to pounce into every direction her blade went, the same way a cat pursued a mouse. Mao was smiling the victor's smiles, but it didn't bother Chaya. The voice in her head, thankfully not Zorn for once, was telling her that she could win.

Her blade made a quick defensive move, flipping over Galux and spinning around the outer rim of the dish, earning an appreciative cry from the crowd and an snort from Mao. It was a challenge, they both knew; Chaya knew from Mao's attack style that the other girl was impulsive and just like Chaya, prone to taking challenges as they were handed to her. But she also had an amazing ability to have a back-up plan in case things went wrong. That was where people lost – because they underestimated her. Chaya knew this because it happened to her too many times to count.

Mao could apparently sense this about her too, because she didn't take the bait.

Which was what I planned, fool, Chaya thought with a grim smile. Mao noticed it and frowned.

"Round one goes to me," Chaya called across the dish.

The Chinese girl didn't appear flustered at all. "You're not allowed saying that until you've actually won."

"Take a look at the dish, sweetie."

At the precise moment that Chaya noticed the flash of uncertainty in Mao's eyes, she focused all of her energy into a kinetic ball, picturing it flowing through the blade. She had been paying attention to the way Mao battled since coming there – she'd also been studying every member of the Bai Hu, especially Rei after his sacred spirit returned to him. She had seen the way that their psyche's worked as one – when Rei had been unfocused, Drigger had been unfocused. When Lai had been furious, Galeon's power had been unstable.

And so she was counting on that one moment when Mao was confused and caught off guard to catch Galux. She only needed the one good hit, an explosion of raw energy, and she could get her opening.

Mao's eyes widened in surprise at the exact second that Chaya commanded her willpower into the blade. She had to make the hit count, or her plan was ruined.

The crash between the two blades was thunderous – more so than the grating of two plastic spinning tops should have emitted – and Galux was sent flying. Chaya felt her mouth part in surprise when she saw the force with which is vaulted all the way across the arena and into a solid wall, causing dust to fly up all around. Mao cried out and hurried over to make sure it was still in good shape, while the announcers called out that the first match of the two-out-of-three competition had been won by Chaya Tate.

The cheering was loud all around, but she could still make out her brother and Miyami's voices. Laughing loudly, she waved at everyone, cheered at her success –

And that was when her knees suddenly gave out and her head swam with a sickening dizziness that had her suddenly crouched on the floor.

It might have been an eternity or maybe only two seconds before the feeling passed and the referee was asking her if she was alright. Mao was back again, holding onto her blade which had been salvaged from the wreck of the wall, at the same time looking less than thrilled with Chaya.

"I'm alright," Chaya insisted, standing up. All she needed was for another freak out; pretending that she was just recovering momentarily, she turned to look for the Bladebreakers – more specifically, Max. As she had suspected, he was in the middle, standing, looking as though he was ready to jump out of the bleachers and come get her. Hurriedly, she waved at him vigorously, trying to let him know that she was alright.

Not the best idea, she realized mid wave as the nauseating feeling of vertigo returned. There was a bad taste in her mouth and the weak sensation in her knees wouldn't go away. In fact it was so pronounced that it was taking all of her will power just to stand, let alone face Mao.

What the hell…? She wanted to know, but instead found herself nodding to the referee that she was ready to continue to match.

"You sure?" Mao called over. "Because if you're not feeling up to it we can just have you forfeit – I don't think anyone would be surprised, with your track record."

The barb hit where it was supposed to and anger helped her move into position and ready her launcher against Mao.

"That was a nice trick you pulled before," Mao called as they faced off, leaning into her launching stance with a cruel smile. "It's too bad I figured out how you pull it off…and that you don't have enough power to pull it again."

"You sure?" Chaya snarked. "Because I'm sure I could get the motivational energy somewhere."

"Suit yourself – I was just trying to offer you a gracious way out. But if you really want to fail without the smallest bit of grace again, that's your prerogative."

"That's a big word – you need any ice to cool of your brain?"

Mao hissed in response. "If this wasn't a spectator sport I'd rip your eyes out."

Chaya couldn't help mocking her, sending her a wink and blowing a kiss. "Yeah, but you wouldn't want to break a nail, would you?"

She almost heard the snap of Mao's patience, just as both girls launched their blades. The spinning tops were moving at a vicious velocity, almost as furious as the wills which drove them. Galux was back, the wild cat scream rolling through Chaya's ears with a piercing trill which hurt.

The second match started out as furious as the first, for both parties – but it wasn't long before Chaya noticed that there was definitely something wrong.

Her blood was pumping in her ears, adrenaline everywhere, her breath slowing to a shuddering gasp. A rolling pain suddenly tore over her, as though every bone in her body had decided to break at once. Her shriek of pain was coupled with the tearing sound as Galux pounced, diving over her blade and carrying out it's cat-scratch attack. Every welt to the blade seemed to sear into her skin because she pulled away, recoiling as though physically assaulted.

'What…the hell?'

"This round's mine!" Mao yelled at her, and before she could react Galux blind-sided her blade in the same way she had done previously, sending it flying in her direction. She couldn't move out of the way in time, her body feeling like jelly, and she felt the full brunt of the blade, like a human fist, make an imprint on her face and send her flying.

Chaya collided with the ground, her palms and cheeks scraping against the rough concrete as the crowed reacted to the last move. She could feel and taste the bleeding, but it didn't seem to matter. Kai and Zorn's voices echoed in her mind, telling her she was going to lose.

And she realized, with a sinking heart, that they were right.

"Are you able to stand?" the referee was asking her, looking doubtfully at her torn cheek and lips. She stared at him, as though unable to understand what he was saying. "Are you able to continue?"

_'Yes, girl, are you able to continue?'_ Zorn was back, mocking, a black corrosive pain in the ass. _'Trust me, your stubbornness is not exactly your most loveable quality in yourself.'_

"I'm fine," Chaya managed to rasp out, waving him off. That move alone was enough to make her want to shrivel into a ball and cry.

_'You should forfeit. You're going to get hurt if you don't.'_

"I don't give up," Chaya whispered, spitting out blood and slowly, painfully, pushing herself into a standing position. Looking up, she realized Max was already gone, probably running down the stairs to find her. Great. That was all she needed was her brother coming here and making her feel even weaker with his constant worrying.

_'You don't get it. If you get hurt, I suffer. This has nothing to do with you, your stubbornness or your will to win. Besides, even if you do somehow make it into another match – you barely have enough energy to stand, let alone battle.'_

"Clearly you've never heard of adrenaline."

"Who are you talking to?" Mao called across to her, the smug amusement at having won and landing a blow on Chaya very obvious. At that moment Chaya wondered what had possessed her to relinquish her dislike of the girl.

"None of your business!"

_'You used up your adrenaline and every other ounce of energy in the first match. Without me, you need to use all of your reserves just to fight with a sacred spirit of that ilk. And you're going to lose to the little rat too. How disgraceful – if I weren't trapped in this position I would never allow the dishonor of losing to a Bai Hu spirit – '_

"No one cares."

_'You should.'_

Every step made her feel like her boots were filled with led and her bones made of jell-o. Zorn was right. She didn't have much strength left in her.

"Chaya, I really think you should quit," Mao told her, the false sympathy worse than an insult she could have sent her way. Far behind her, the Bai Hu team were exchanging glances and comments. In her own ears, Chaya heard the sound of her brother's feet as he hurried towards her.

Anger surged through her and Chaya couldn't help it as she yelled out, "I'm not fucking giving up! I don't care what you, what my brother, what Kai or any stupid pink-haired brat think – I don't quit!"

Mao and the referee clearly believed she had lost her mind.

_'They aren't the only ones, you foolish child. Your stubbornness is going to get you into trouble. All you need to do is relinquish power to me and – '_

"And hope you don't injure everyone within a three mile radius, right?" Chaya snorted. "Not going to happen." To Mao, she nodded, "I'm ready. Let's finish this."

"You're the one who's finished if you don't just forfeit," Mao told her. "You're hurt and you can barely stand – if I beat you, I'll feel like I took candy from a baby."

"Then why don't you forfeit?" Chaya snapped sweetly, inhaling deeply and trying to focus. She could feel a dark stare on her back and she knew it was Kai. Out of thousands of spectators, it was him she was more aware of then anyone else, because he had told her she was going to lose. Because he had told her good luck even though he knew she would lose. And she had wanted to prove him wrong – she'd wanted to prove Zorn wrong and even herself.

_'There's still time. If only you – '_

"Give in to you. Not likely. Stop trying," Chaya groused. She barely waited for the referee's signal before launching, the movement nearly toppling her over. Static and vicious clinking, the smell of burning plastic. Voices in her ears and pain everywhere were distracting her.

"God, you're pathetic," Mao told her at the same time that Galux began it's new assault on her blade. "So much for a graceful loss, huh, Chaya Tate. It's going to be Vancouver Island all over again."

_"You're going to lose if you don't control your emotions."_

_"…relinquish power to me…"_

_"You might as well give up. You're going to lose."_

_  
_

_"…my best advice to you is to not fool around with such things as the sacred spirits. No good can come of it…"_

_"You're not strong enough to win the tournament. Maybe you should go home."_

"THE HELL ANY OF YOU KNOW!" Chaya yelled as the voices completely blocked out everything else, grabbing on to her head.

The rage was everywhere and suddenly she felt lost; the lines were blurred, the entire world a shadowy black and grey. She was falling – and then she wasn't, her vision clouding with something that could see beyond everything. There was an explosion inside of her and she glared across the way, catching Mao's eyes in an instance, holding them. "You don't know anything about Vancouver Island, little girl."

Mao looked like she wanted to step back, pull her gaze away, but couldn't.

"Any time now, Zorn," Chaya murmured out loud. "It's your game now."

The victorious shout was more like a sirens song as the bitclip in her blade shone; she felt her heart soar at the same time as the dark spirit rose into the air, stretching magnificent black leathery wings into the air in an attacking stance. Zorn was at least three times larger than Galux, filling the entire stadium with a vicious energy that had people cowering.

At the same time as Zorn swooped down on the minx, Chaya narrowed her gaze at Mao, daring her to keep going. Across from her, even as she stood trapped in her gaze, Chaya could feel Mao falter. Dark, feelingless nightmares sang in her head, Chaya could tell, moments before there was a shattering sound.

_'I am Chaya. I am Zorn. I am both. And as long a that's true, you're all totally screwed.'_

The world came rushing back, color returning as Zorn dissipated into thin air.

Chaya knew that although for her it had been an eternity, for everyone else Zorn's appearance had barely registered.

Across from her, Mao fell to her knees, surrounded by the shredded pieces of her blade.

'Game. Set. Match. Loser Mao. Winner Zorn. Nonexistent Chaya. No rematch needed.'

(-)

"I still don't get what just happened," Miyami chirped as Kyoujiu attempted to bandage Chaya's busted cheek. "One minute you were about to fall over – I mean, you looked dead, man – and the next, there was this flash and Mao's blade is confetti."

Chaya winced, both at the words and at the pressure the Chief was putting on her face. "Yeah, I didn't want to win that way. I just sort of…lost control. Not exactly my finest moment."

"Are you kidding? You made cat girl eat her words about ten times over!" Miyami cheered. "I think that definitely deserves some type of award – you know, besides the solo tournament cup."

Chaya shrugged. After the match with Mao, she had easily beaten her final opponent, a nameless teen from Korea who's bitbeast had been a joke compared to Chaya's Zorn. Miyami had been gushing for an hour, just as Takao and Rei had. Max had been worrying about her and Kai…well, Kai had been glaring at her with the oddest expression on his face since she had ever met him. She had a feeling it had to do with her bitbeast and didn't really want to talk about it.

The victory against Mao didn't feel right for some reason – scratch that, she knew why it didn't feel right. Because she had turned the reigns over to Zorn when the going got tough; there had been none of the synchronized balance that she had witness with any of the White Tigers or even her own Bladebreakers.

There was no balance between her and Zorn and something told her that there never would be.

"Hey Chays, guess what?" Miyami broke through her thoughts, grinning widely in her face.

"What?"

"No, you have to guess!"

"Uh…you're buying me something to eat?"

"That's the most boring guess ever – no! _Blader__-Weekly _wants to get pictures of us!"

"Score!" Takao interrupted. "Where are they? They probably want to do an interview on my totally spectacular win…"

"Actually, I think they're more interested in Chaya," Rei observed and for the first time as she looked around the arena which was now swarming with people, she realized that there were, indeed, a whole lot of cameras pointed her way. "Thinking about giving an interview, Chays?"

"Never in a million years," Chaya groaned. She turned to Kai, smirking. "Any advice on how to ignore the paparazzi?"

"Don't do stupid things," was his only reply, before he stalked off, away from the team. Chaya glared at the back of his head for a moment, but was interrupted by the voice of Daitenji-san returning, the Bai Hu team in tow.

* * *

TBC 


End file.
